Paul Finebaum says NCAA Tournament is 'critical' for John Calipari's future at Kentucky

As of this moment, gone are the days when the postseason felt like a block party event for Kentucky. Some of the runs the Wildcats went on during this time of year under John Calipari were always going to be difficult to consistently repeat. Even so, UK has struggled to even do the minimum since their last NCAA Tournament win in the 2019 Elite Eight.

That’s why, in Paul Finebaum’s opinion, it’s reaching now or never time for Calipari and Kentucky. He spoke about the Wildcat’s expectations this March on ‘McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning’ and said their loss in the SEC Tournament this weekend has the fanbase back feeling uneasy. So, in his mind, UK needs to at least make the Sweet 16 to feel good about where their program, and their head coach, are at.

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“This is a critical couple of weeks for him to state the very obvious,” Finebaum stated. “He had done a good job this year of calming everything down. Because, six weeks ago, we weren’t sure they were in the tournament. But he threw a lot of that goodwill away in Nashville.”

“I don’t think there is a specific end date for Kentucky…This is not, ‘You have to make it to the championship game. You have to make the Final Four’. But you’d better look good in the tournament,” said Finebaum. “You’d better not lose in the first round. Or the second round. You have to get out of that first weekend.”

It’s hard to believe Kentucky hasn’t even been a factor in March Madness since Auburn ended their run in 2019. It’s completely factual, though. Since then, it’s been the pandemic season, a 9-17 campaign, and the shocking Saint Peter’s upset in three straight years.

Lowering the bar this much for them says all that Finebaum believes needs to be said about who Kentucky is as of late. Still, his point still stands. If the Wildcats don’t make it out of this week, especially if it comes at the hands of UK transfer Bryce Hopkins and Providence, things could get even dicier for Calipari in Lexington.

“For Kentucky basketball? The fact that I’m saying just get to the Sweet 16 is the absolute must thing? It just shows you how far this program has fallen,” Finebaum said. “The end of this conversation is to be determined. But if Kentucky is out of this thing by the end of the weekend? It’s a bad sign.”