John Calipari: 'We had some guys that didn't play the way they've been playing all year.'

Immediately after Kentucky’s stunning NCAA Tournament loss to 14-seed Oakland, the Wildcats’ head coach, John Calipari, provided his thoughts to CBS on the disappointing outcome.

Kentucky didn’t play its best basketball against the Golden Grizzlies, not even close, trailing for nearly 28 minutes before falling 80-76 in Pittsburgh. Oakland’s Jack Gohlke drained 10 three-pointers on the night while Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell, the Wildcats’ lone veterans, were the only ones who truly stepped up for the blue and white.

Outside of Reeves and Mitchell, nerves appeared to play a factor in Kentucky’s younger players struggling throughout the night. Reed Sheppard finished with just three points and didn’t make his first (and only) field goal until late in the second half. Rob Dillingham went 2-9 from the field for 10 points. DJ Wagner failed to score a single point.

“We had some guys that didn’t play the way they’ve been playing all year,” Calipari told Evan Washburn of CBS. “We did everything we could. We knew the zone would be tough but we missed shots we don’t miss. The preparation, I thought they were in a great — trying to keep ’em loose. But when the game started, they just — you had some guys not play to the level they can play.”

"They shouldn't be and our team and our season, defined by that game, but it will be. … This one is painful. … This team, I really felt was built for this moment, even though we were young."

—Kentucky head coach John Calipari joins @EvanWashburn pic.twitter.com/CWlrvf17wr

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024

Oakland entered this matchup as a clearly confident bunch, and that carried over onto the hardwood. The Golden Grizzlies played arguably its best game of the season. They came one expecting to win. But Kentucky had plenty of opportunities to mount a comeback and take control — the moment came and went several times.

“I told them after, this one is painful,” Calipari said. “And the reason is, there are other times you lose a game and you know your team is what it is. But this team, I really felt was built for this moment. Even though we were young, I knew that could catch us.”

Despite the unfortunate ending to the 2023-24 season, Calipari hopes that this group will be remembered for more than what happened on Thursday night.

“They shouldn’t be, and our team and the season defined by that game,” Calipari added. “But it will be. This is the profession we’ve chosen.”