WATCH: John Calipari on Kentucky's win over Mississippi State

John Calipari covered a lot of ground in his press conference following Kentucky’s 90-77 win over Mississippi State. After the loss to Texas A&M, it was clear that the Cats had work to do, especially on defense and the boards, but for the most part, Calipari was pleased. He said outside of the start to the second half, he liked how his team bounced back and the changes they implemented on pick-and-roll defense.

“That was a good team that we beat today,” Calipari said of the Bulldogs. “Every game in this league is like a rock fight. Every game. Kids were ready today.”

Calipari doled out praise to almost every player on his team, especially Antonio Reeves, and delivered some subtle remarks to those still struggling (Justin Edwards). He also claimed he wasn’t aware this was his 400th win at Kentucky until a Mississippi State player congratulated him in the handshake line. Add in a “You people are crazy” when asked about the “#FreeBigZ” billboard fans put up in Indianapolis and a lengthy rant about the NCAA and it was a classic Cal press conference.

Hit play and enjoy below. We’ll add the transcript when it’s available.

John Calipari Transcript

JOHN CALIPARI: I just — there’s — we made a little bit of adjustment in pick-and-roll defense, executive decision. They liked it. I liked it. And now we are going to really zero in on getting really good at it. Antonio was really good. Robert was really good. Reed was really good. Tre, I told him, you can’t play as many minutes, sub yourself. And he did. We still have got work to do playing two bigs. But we may have to do it if we are taking Tre out. I went with Justin some at four, not bad. It gives us a 6-7 athletic wing four. So…

The second thing, that team, Mississippi State, is a top-ten defensive team in the country. Top ten. I think we got 90. Did we get to 90? That’s a top-ten defensive team. And we showed in the first half against a team that’s played well that, we told on ourselves, we can guard, we have got a lot of guys thinking about offense and what I can do. Well, today you know what happened, they went on a run, a couple of guys who weren’t into the game and turned it. You’re out. I’m playing these other guys. Don’t be mad at me, be mad at yourself.

Now, next game Robert could be out of his mind throwing hook passes and, boom, it will be him sitting or Reed getting beat defensively, bang-bang, and then he will be sitting. And it is not a threat. It is, be ready to play.

They start the half, we just let them throw a ball to the post and we stood there and then we gave them a three. Wait a minute.

And all of a sudden it is a 12-2 run. So…

But it is a good team we beat. Every game in this league is like a rock fight. Every game. The kids were ready today. I was really happy.

Q: Cal, Antonio had 6 or 7 on 2s, 9 for 9 tonight on free throws. Did it in a lot of different ways, zero step-backs, floaters. Just how far have you seen him come offensively in that regard from the last year?

JOHN CALIPARI: My favorite play for him, he started his dance and usually what does he shoot? A step-back, bank misser, it doesn’t go in, he is two for — I think is he 1 for 11 with that shot. I’m like, do your dance, you will get happy, and then go by a guy. And he went by him and got fouled.

You know, again, trying to give each of these individual players what they need and then what they have got to do for us as a team.

You saw late in the game, like you could tell we worked a couple of days on late-game stuff. It doesn’t matter what the score was. It was what we were doing. And, so, we’ve got things to do. But this is a good team. We’re a good team. And we lost that game in overtime. We made 15 threes, 22 assists, 11 turns, 9 block shots, scored the 90 on the road and you lose? Yeah, they made 17 threes and the next game they didn’t but they played 17 threes. You know what? All of a sudden, ah, Kentucky. I don’t know if it’s people’s hope or their real opinion. I think it is their hope.

So, we have got another tough game coming up, Georgia, are you ready, has not lost a road game. Georgia has not lost a road. They are so excited about coming here and playing. Mike’s got them playing now. It is another good team. This team beat Tennessee and they got up 15, 16.

Q: John, as you have been working to improve the defense on this team, how much of it was technique, how much is it want to and desire? Because offense is fun, defense is hard work.

JOHN CALIPARI: Yeah. And it is a playing desperate. Are you willing to do that or I’m too cool to play desperate and you can’t be in on this team. Because did you kind of see? It doesn’t matter who the five are on offense. It really doesn’t matter. We will score, whatever five we put in. That means you better be rebounding, you better be defending, you better be talking, you better be connected to us or I can play somebody else. That’s not a threat. That is come on, guys, connect.

So, the defense, some of it is, like they kept saying, you know, well, we have just got to really do it. I said, listen, let’s come up with another plan, too. And that’s what we did a little bit, and we were a little more aggressive. But we have got work to do.

Q: Coach, you have talked about how crazy the fans are here at Kentucky. There seems to be a group on social media, fans that came together and raised money and put a billboard up saying “Free Big Z” just down the road from the NCAA center.

JOHN CALIPARI: Yeah. I would say it again, our fans are crazy and I love them.

Q: What support does that show him?

JOHN CALIPARI: Let me say this, when you have — everybody wants to have engaged fans. I just walked into that arena. This Georgia game, I want it to sound — when I went to the Philadelphia Phillies playoff game, folks, I got chills. It was so loud and people were so engaged. I want that Georgia game to feel that way, like it is — that’s our fans having a ten-point edge, being those people. And today they were really good.

But I would say that doing that shows how the fans are here.

You know, you have got places where they are trying to sell tickets, where they are trying to get people involved. That doesn’t happen here. These — you know, this is — they are here, they will be waiting on the radio show. It is four degrees out. They will drive back to East Kentucky. They love it and they are a part of this.

And that’s why if you lose sometimes they are still engaged. They are not, like, not engaged. But some — like I said, you know, some of the statements you wonder sometimes, is it their hope or their real opinion? And I am not talking fans.

Q: Ugo with four blocks tonight, five blocks last weekend and–

JOHN CALIPARI: He was good today.

Q: –and averaging six blocks over 40 minutes. As you try to correct the defense, how big is that?

JOHN CALIPARI: Like Aaron, our seven-foot big guy, and how much better was he this game than last game? He knew he didn’t play well last game. He was better.

Q: Cal, I mean, I’m sure by now you have heard about this being a milestone win for you here at Kentucky.

JOHN CALIPARI: Move on. Ask me another question. I literally did not know until their player — I know, he knew. Their player came up to me, “Congratulations on 400.” And I went, oh geez. I forgot about it. I don’t — I don’t — one of their players. My players, they don’t have any idea. They just want to know what we’re eating. Do we have food back here?

All I would say to you, you stay long enough and you have enough really good players, a lot of those things happen. I am not doing this for numbers. I don’t even know what my record is. I could care less. But you can see, I’m locked into how can I help these players? Some of it is, you know, how you help them. You put them on the bench, you just sit them; that’s how you help them. Other times you have got to hug them. You are giving them books for positive

thinking and different things to get them to think different. You are trying to teach them habits because their dominant habits are not real good when you are 19 and 20. They are just not good. You are trying to create new ones. And then every day is a battle of push and pull. And that kind of stuff happens. And I’m, I guess, I’m right near Coach Rupp, right? I’m right there, a couple more games?

Q: I mean, you are a little less than halfway. Since you gave me permission to ask another question…

JOHN CALIPARI: So I probably am not going to have that.

Q: What I was going to ask, with Big Z, is there — he has talked about it.If it goes on too long, even if he gets eligible, hey, let’s just red shirt. If he gets eligible, I mean, will you red shirt?

JOHN CALIPARI: I won’t redshirt him. I won’t redshirt him. It is not fair for him to go through what he did to get into the school, two months, what he is doing academically, how he is as a teammate.

Every day he walks in and says, “Hey, Coach Cal.” Yesterday, or two days ago, I said to him, you know, I just want you to know I feel bad because I don’t like the way you were treated from the beginning to now. And he said, “Coach, I’m good. I’m good. I appreciate you saying it, but I’m good.”

He’s just a great kid. And he deserves — look, if it were your son how would you feel right now? I mean, he just turned 20. He was a 19-year-old, 20 playing amateur basketball over there. They can make it however they want to make it, but what about this, what about that? I get it. I get it.

But, you know, he is a great kid who deserves it and if he becomes eligible I will play him. I don’t know how much. Maybe both big guys don’t do go and then he goes nuts and we look around and say, oh my gosh, they are not going to play anymore. Maybe. Or maybe it is like, geesh, these two are better than him. We’ll see.