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Men's Basketball

Round 3: Kentucky “Hungry” and Tennessee Motivated

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It’s SEC tournament time (aka The Kentucky Invitational) and Saturday will feature one of the most anticipated games in SEC tournament history as No.4 Kentucky and No. 8 Tennessee face off for a third time this season to settle the series.

Neither of the two previous match-ups have been particularly close as the Cats beat Tennessee by 17 at Rupp, and lost to the Vols by 19 in Knoxville. However, with a potential one seed in Louisville on the line, Saturdays game has much more at stake.

After a 73-55 thumping of Alabama, the Cats would not give away their hopes of plau= However, there were two Cats did have something to say, Reid Travis and Keldon Johnson.

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Reid was out with a sprained right knee when the Cats played down in Knoxville and could do nothing but watch as the Vols dominated. This time around Reid is healthy and will be motivated and “excited” to for one final matchup.

“Yeah, it’d be nice. I mean, we’re excited to play whoever tomorrow. It’s going to be a semifinal game for us and it’s one more step. If it’s against them, we’ll be excited to play them and get that matchup again. If not, we’re still excited for it.”

Keldon Johnson didn’t give as much away but promised the Cats will be “ready” and “hungry”.

“Regardless of who we get, Tennessee or Mississippi State, we hungry. We’re ready to go regardless if it’s Tennessee or Mississippi State. We’re just going to come out and do what we do. We’re going to be locked in and ready to go.”

When Tennessee finally pulled away and beat Mississippi State 83-76, it was set in stone that there would be a final rubber match between the Cats and Vols.

According to Grant Williams, there was no doubt that would happen, telling reporters, “I didn’t think it, I knew it. At least one more, we’re both great teams”.

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Despite playing for a potential one seed, the Vols seem to be playing for more, respect. Admiral Schofield believes that the Wildcats did not respect them despite entering the first matchup on Feb. 16 as the No. 1 team in the AP poll. When asked about the SEC semi-final matchup, Schofield had this to say.

“We just like to go out and compete. We like to be respected by being competitors. Sometimes we play certain teams and we can sense we’re not respected. I think all of us can say confidently that we didn’t feel that way. That’s why we came out and played the way we did in Knoxville because we didn’t feel that we were respected in Kentucky. And credit to them, why would you respect us? They played us hard. They pushed us around, threw us around. We didn’t fight back. Like I said, we’re on neutral ground. New site, new game. It’s 1-1. Both teams are competing for a championship, so everyone is going to go out and play hard.”

SEC Player of the Year agreed with Schofield, saying:

“They didn’t (have respect). I don’t know if they do, honestly. Just by how they acted the first game. You could tell that they were kinda confident and understand that these dudes maybe have all this hype but they’re not that good. That’s the mindset I think they had, they were even saying in on the court. Honestly, we’ve just gotta come out there and compete. Can’t get wrapped up in stuff like that because when you do it takes away from the game you love.”

I can’t respect anyone that wears that “throw up” orange and those hideous warm-ups. Both teams seem to be ready to go from the jump and one thing is for sure, today is going to be an absolute war.

With a win, Kentucky would go to their 9th SEC final in 10 years and the opportunity to win the SEC Tournament for a fifth straight time. Let’s have a fun night in Rupp Arena South!

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In honor of hating Tennessee, here ya go.

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Men's Basketball

Adou Thiero Enters Transfer Portal, Keeps Options Open

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© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky’s first domino of the off-season has fallen. Adou Thiero has entered the transfer portal, according to On3’s Jamie Shaw. He has entered his name in the NBA Draft as well, while not ruling out a return to Kentucky, according to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim.

A big hit to Kentucky’s upcoming roster, as Thiero’s upside and growth will be missed. In the 2023-24 season, Thiero averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while missing 7 games due to injury. The 6-8 wing brought physicalness that Kentucky desperately needed this season, and something Calipari has been stressing for this upcoming season. Calipari harped on him numerous times this season, saying “He’s gotten so much better.”

Thiero has jumped in mock drafts all season, and his potential is sky high. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony even had Thiero going 27th in the 2025 NBA Draft. Now, he will get to add to his potential elsewhere.

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Now, Kentucky will look to find a good replacement for him as more things start happening throughout the off-season. Calipari is continuing to meet with players to discuss their future plans throughout the week.

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John Calipari Highlights Changes for Next Season

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John Calipari draws up a play at Kentucky's season opener. Said he made a "tweak".
UK Athletics

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein.

Many Kentucky fans have referred to this quote over the last few days, expressing a desire for a change from John Calipari. However, Calipari will be back on the sidelines for the Kentucky Wildcats next season for his 16th season, confirmed by Mitch Barnhart on Tuesday.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes.

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On Monday, John Calipari went on his season-ending radio show, giving his first comments to fans since Kentucky’s upset loss to Oakland last Thursday. It was easy to see why is a good recruiter, as he said all the right things.

For the better part of an hour, Calipari spoke with humility, answered some direction questions from Tom Leach, and accepted criticism. The main takeaway was that he understands that he has not met the Kentucky standard or his own standard, and changes need to take place.

“We’ve got to evaluate everything,” Calipari said. Here are some changes that have been outlined.

Getting Back to “Grinding”

Kentucky basketball offseason has often consisted of international trips to the Bahamas, or Canada last season, but not this year. Calipari emphasized a desire to get back to what his early Kentucky teams were characterized by, defense and physicality.

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“What about in the summers, instead of the Bahmas or Toronto, we’re grinding,” Calipari proposed. “We’ve got to get back to where we’ve been defensively and with physicality. Your defense steadies you.”

Those trips are good for team bonding and chemistry, but it’s clear that time can be used better for getting into the weight room and instilling defensive principles. Calipari did note that he does not want to take a step back on offense.

Getting Older

Calipari is the coach who made the “one-and-done” approach popular, relying heavily on elite freshmen. However, with college basketball getting older, he has expressed a willingness to get older.

“We’re relying on freshmen too much. In those kinds of games, you better have some vets,” Calipari said of his takeaway from Oakland. “For us, we need to get older.”

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It should be noted that Calipari relied on transfers in 2022 and 2023, albeit most not being the elite transfers, but more supporting pieces (i.e. CJ Fredrick) and developmental players (i.e. Jacob Toppin). That said, two transfers have been the leading scorer for Kentucky in three straight seasons, Oscar Tshiebwe and Antonio Reeves.

Calipari is looking more for a middle ground between young talent and transfers. “I like the combination of both. We just got to get the right transfers.”

Program Changes

When you are winning, you have more freedom, but when you have just one NCAA Tournament win in the last four seasons, you’re not going to have that luxury. This was not publicly said by Calipari, but more oversight will come as a result of his meeting with Barnhart on Tuesday afternoon.

Expect 1-2 staff changes and likely a support staff change. One of the staff changes should be filled with a defensive mind, and the support staff should be (suggestion) filled with someone in a general manager-type role. There will also be some operation changes such as having a more definitive practice schedule, rather than getting a text the day before/of, and some changes with the NIL model.

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Mitch Barnhart Speaks On John Calipari Coming Back As Kentucky Basketball Coach, “He Will Return”

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Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will return as Kentucky Wildcats basketball coach.
Mike Weaver/Special to the Courier Journal

After days of speculation, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart confirms that John Calipari will be back, coaching his 16th season for the Kentucky Wildcats. The two had a conversation at Barnhart’s farm on Tuesday afternoon.

“As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach,” Barnhart said in a statement.

While there was some fan outcry for a head coaching change, there was no real indication that a change would be made.

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Barnhart was put in a difficult situation. Calipari has not led the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2019, but he is one of just a few active Hall of Fame coaches. With no clear option as a replacement, Barnhart decided to retain Calipari for another season.

Kentucky Insider has been told that Tuesday’s meeting between the two was “good”, despite some disagreement. As a result of the meeting, there will be some expected changes in the program, specifically some staff changes, and changes in day-to-day operations.

On Monday, Calipari recognized his shortcomings and closed out his show with a commitment to the Kentucky fans:

“That standard of national titles has been here from coach Rupp on. The only thing I am saying to all our fans. I’m going to work… That is a commitment that I give to the fans. I love it. This is what I want. This is it. Let’s come together and let’s do something.”

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Calipari is set to meet with players individually on Wednesday to discuss their stay/go decisions. The process of rebuilding next year’s roster (and staff) begins now.

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