WATCH: John Calipari previews the Louisville game

Nearly an hour and a half behind schedule, John Calipari arrived fashionably late to his Friday afternoon press conference to preview Kentucky Basketball‘s next game, the return home to play rival Louisville in Rupp Arena. Calipari’s extreme tardiness was due to a long practice–almost two hours, he said–as Kentucky tries to clean up some of its messes before hosting the Cardinals on New Year’s Eve.

Calipari acknowledged his team still has a ways to go before playing the 13th game on the schedule, saying, “I don’t know when it’s gonna kick in. I hope it’s this game, but I can’t tell you.”

Also from the 20-minute conversation, Calipari spoke highly of the job Kenny Payne has done in Payne’s first year at Louisville despite the Cards’ 2-11 record to date.

“Kenny, I know the record,” Calipari said. “I’ve had teams that started poorly, but I also know, just watching, he’s coaching his team, he’s building people up, he’s trying to figure out how they play together, he’s doing some things defensively, he’s doing a 2-2-1, he’s doing a little man press, he went to a 2-3 zone. They’re denying everything and then they’re playing tight, trapping pick-and-rolls. He’s trying different things, so he’s doing good stuff.”

To hear more from Calipari before the big rivalry game, hit play below on KSR’s video of the conversation.

John Calipari’s Pre-Louisville Game Press Conference

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