ESPN College GameDay crew debates John Calipari's future at Kentucky

As March Madness continues without the Kentucky Wildcats, all eyes are on John Calipari and his future in Lexington. The decision to keep him around or push the Hall of Fame coach out is up to Mitch Barnhart and the program’s boosters, but that doesn’t mean the opinions are slowing down on what the choice should be — and what it would take to kiss and make up with a return.

To say it’s complicated would be an understatement, but the ESPN College GameDay crew gave it their best shot regarding Kentucky’s future, specifically under Calipari. That panel included Seth Greenberg, longtime friend and supporter of the head coach, who previously said the Wildcats needed to retain him on the condition he “gets back to old-school Coach Cal.”

How has his tune shifted in 24 hours, if any?

“To me, he’s gotta adjust his model. His model’s always been to recruit the best players in the country, freshmen, and then go out and compete,” Greenberg said. “Well, you know what — the model of college basketball today is not to be that young. You’ve got to get old and stay old. So continue to recruit elite freshmen. Retain the right players, because you have to have culture created within your program.

“And then go into the portal and do what you do with one-and-dones, because the portal is the new one-and-done. Go into the portal and get toughness, winning players, guys that fit roles, so that you can put a team together.”

Jay Bilas was less patient, saying experience is irrelevant and this won’t be fixed by adding older talent in the portal. In his eyes, the Cats just need to play better.

“Some people don’t process this. When they lost to Saint Peter’s, they weren’t a young team. They were one of the oldest teams in the country. … The answer is play better when you get into the tournament. This is the same team that went to Auburn and was the only team in the country to beat Auburn at Auburn this year,” Bilas said. “They went to Mississippi State, and they executed late under really difficult situations. And then they go into the tournament and they lay an egg. I don’t think it’s just because they’re young, because Auburn is an old team. They lost to Yale. They didn’t execute down the stretch. You could’ve said they looked just as young as Kentucky did.

“… You hear things like, ‘Well, the moment was too big for them.’ Well, the moment was too big for a lot of teams that lost in the first round. That happens every year. The moment was too big for Purdue last year. Look, they just need to play better. It’s not a freshmen versus senior thing. It’s just not.”

Greenberg’s response? It’s not just experience, but rather physicality and toughness that develops with age. That was missing from this group and what ultimately sent the Wildcats home after yet another early exit.

Do that, and Kentucky get return to “the elite of the elite.”

“Go back to old school Cal,” he said. “Cal was his best when he was tough and his teams rebounded, defended. They were physical and had an arrogance. Get rid of swaggy Cal and go back to old school Cal where they were the toughest team, and when they walked in the gym, people said, ‘I don’t want to play against those dudes.’ To me, that’s the solution.

“And that’s what he will do. Cal’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever been around in my lifetime. He’s usually ahead of the curve, he was behind it with the portal. He will figure this out, and Kentucky will be back with the elite of the elite.”

“Who was the hot team everybody said to watch out for? It was Kentucky,” Bilas added. “They were the same age then and they were actually older when they got to the game. Some people picked them for the Final Four, they were just as young when they picked them.”

For Jay Williams, the problems extend beyond the Xs and Os and what goes on between the lines. It’s the off-court frustration that needs to be addressed.

“The issue is more so the relationship that Cal has with his AD and the fanbase. That’s what’s driving all of this, in my opinion. Winning the tournament is hard, I hear you,” he said. “But I think sometimes the way the fanbase interprets how Cal communicates with them, the relationship with the AD, that plays into all of this, as well. In a really big way. It feels like it’s way bigger than basketball. Every game that they lose, Cal is trending, ‘fire Cal.’ There is a real headhunt. I don’t think Cal is going anywhere because the buyout is too much, but those relationships are in a really delicate place.”

As for if it’s time to let Calipari go? Yeah, Rece Davis isn’t hearing any of that. In fact, he said only two coaches are capable of leading this program.

“There are only two people on the planet built to coach Kentucky, it’s John Calipari and Rick Pitino,” he said. “They shouldn’t fire John Calipari, that’s ridiculous.”

“That’s absurd,” Bilas added.

“That is absurd,” Greenberg said. “I agree with the static around the program, he’s got to heal that relationship with Barnhart. That’s important. He needs to come together with him and say, ‘We’re in this thing together.’