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Men's Basketball

Swaggy Cal’s Reaction to Kentucky’s Seeding

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7 years ago

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Avoided Duke. Take a Breath.

After an 82-78 nail-biting loss to Tennessee on Saturday, John Calipari was his swaggy self, following the Selection Show on Sunday.

As the No. 7 team overall, the Cats were selected as the two seed in the Midwest bracket. For the third time in the last four years, was paired with North Carolina as the one seed. Kentucky wasn’t given the best draw, but they weren’t given the worst draw either and Calipari seemed to be as jolly as old Saint Nicholas in his interviews.

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Let’s take a look at Cal’s best comments.

Grant Williams Flops “All Over the Place”

“Throwing his [Williams] body, flopping all over the place, getting fouls called, charges were blocks but it didn’t matter because he made foul shots and he made that three in the corner.”

Cal Feels Good Going into the Tournament

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“When I look at the stats, I can’t believe we lost that game. You look at that stat line, how in the world did we lose that? We had the charge call, the walk call, the step out of bounds, who stepped out? Those three turnovers put as at 11. We had eight turnovers against that team, come on. That’s why I said, I feel good going in.”

On the Team’s Transformation

“First of all, we don’t do any defense in the summer; season’s too long. Most cases, it goes till April. Even when they come back on campus, I don’t do defense until September when the season starts, October, because the season’s too long. It takes us awhile defensively. Early in the season, we were shaky. I mean Transylvania and IUPUI, Indiana of Pennsylvania, beat us on the dribble 30 times, both of them. Now we’ve become a good defensive team. People talk about players’ confidence. Until you build defensive confidence, you’re not going to be a confident offensive player. It doesn’t work that way. When Jay Bilas got dunked on and scored on and ran by, you think Jay was going to go down there and make a shot? Wasn’t happening. He was hoping to get a rebound. You have to defend first and what’s happened is as we’ve become better defensively, we’ve become better offensively because guys are more confident.”

There’s no doubt that this team has come a long way from

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Cal Hoped for the Louisville Region

“It’s fine. I mean I thought that there was a chance we play in Louisville. I thought it was slim, but it was none. None! Not happening, but that’s fine.”

Similarities to the 2012 Title Team

“We use the year to prepare the guys for this tournament. The stuff that we just went through where you have your chances, a couple things happen out of your control, a couple things happen in your control and all of a sudden you drop the game. I remember 2012 being up, and then with four or five minutes to go in the game we let go of the rope and lose. Best thing that happened in 2012. So, we’ll see.”

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Stay in the Moment & Don’t Worry About Other Teams

“Just keep winning games, how many can you win? Let’s try to win six. I’m telling you, what we’re trying to do is beat Abilene right now. Abilene Christian shoots 40 percent from the three-point line. Figured we’d have somebody like that that’s launching threes. Now all of a sudden, you’re going to have to play and you’re going to have to guard threes which means long rebounds, which gives them second chance opportunities. We gotta play that one. The next games, I’m not worried about. It’s about keeping these guys in the moment.”

“I told them, you don’t watch the games. Teams you’re worried about get beat. Why did you spend any time or anxiety on anyone in this tournament? Don’t watch the games. I watch Alaska: Last Frontier, Living Off the Grid, Life Below Zero and you don’t have to worry about any of the basketball. I tell my wife, Seth, I can do that. She laughs at me, like you could never.”

Mrs. Calipari’s Instagram

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“What’s wrong with her? Ellen just wants to smack me around. I’m like, what are you doing? I don’t look at the stuff. [Seth: You’re a roommate] Yeah, I’m a roommate. What are you talking about, roommate? Now we sleep in different bedrooms. What’s the problem? I mean, I don’t know what the problem is.”

Cal is confident and its noticeable, which makes me feel good about our chances. This Kentucky team is fully capable of bringing home the title, but winning six straight games in a single elimination tournament is harder than it looks. March is here, let the Madness begin.

Here are the interviews below:

*Peep the NBA jerseys behind Cal ?

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Calipari House Interview

ESPN Bracketology Interview

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance Drafted First Round by the San Antonio Spurs

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8 hours ago

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June 23, 2026

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Brett Davis | IMAGN Images

It’s every kids dream to play professionally one day, let alone be able to play for the University of Kentucky on the way to the next level. 

Although Jayden Quaintance’s time with the Wildcats ended anticlimactically, his NBA dreams have officially come true at just 18 years old. 

The Cleveland, Ohio native began his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils, starting in all 24 games he played in.

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Before his unfortunate knee injury, Quaintance was good for nearly a nightly double-double, averaging 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with 2.6 blocks a night. 

He would transfer to Kentucky ahead of his sophomore season, making his first appearance on Dec. 20 against St. John’s.

Finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, many members of the Big Blue Nation were confident that their superstar had finally debuted. 

Only appearing in three more games for the 2025-26 season, it was quite clear that his eyes were set on playing at the next level, not taking any chances of another injury. 

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Selecting Quaintance with the No. 20 overall pick, the Spurs have now added on to their elite front court and will likely utilize him as a two-way player.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Players and Staff Speak About the Importance of Zoom Diallo to This Team, “It’s a recipe for success”

Published

5 days ago

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June 19, 2026

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Zoom Diallo is turning heads in Kentucky basketball practices. See why Mikhail McLean and Malachi Moreno are already raving about the new PG1.
UK Athletics

Mark Pope likes to start his roster-building process with a point guard. In year one, that was Lamont Butler. This past season, it was Jaland Lowe, who was the second commitment after an eager Kam Williams signed with the Wildcats without a visit.

This season, that point guard is Zoom Diallo.

According to early practice reports, Diallo has not only been one of the best players, but one of the most important in terms of helping this team build its foundation. According to one source, “Zoom has been one of the purest forms of a floor general early on. These guys rally around him. He’s the voice of the team in the early stages and backs it up by going the extra mile.”

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Assistant coach Mikhail McLean confirmed that in interviews this week.

“Zoom’s been my favorite so far,” he said on Tuesday, before going into more depth with BBN Tonight on Thursday, comparing him to a quarterback.

“He’s just a connector,” McLean said. “If you know what a quarterback is like, where they just kind of connect everybody. He has a bubbly energy and personality. He’s humble enough to accept who he is as a person. He gasses and encourages everybody to be the best version of themselves, and that’s how he gets the best version of himself.”

McLean mentioned another “connector” on the team, Malachi Moreno, who actually played a part in recruiting Diallo to Kentucky, “his favorite point guard.”

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“I had already known Zoom for a while,” he told KY Insider on Thursday. “We had been in Adidas Euro camp together, and being on the Adidas circuit, we’ve been good friends for a while. We always wanted to play together. He ended up at Washington, and I ended up here, but the stars aligned and now he’s here with me. I got my favorite point guard.”

As far as the impact Diallo has on the court, Moreno mentioned his ability to make plays for his teammates, but also highlighted his ability as a bully guard, drawing a comparison to Otega Oweh.

“He’s a high-assist-rate guy,” Moreno said. “He makes plays, and he earns shots for his teammates, and he’s also a bully guard.”

“I think that also helps in the SEC as well, being one of those bigger bully guards. You saw how Otega was last year. He was able to be so good because he was such a bully and able to muscle his way through the paint and really earn shots for everybody, earn shots for himself. I think having a guy like Zoom like that as well, it’s just a recipe for success.”

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High praise for Kentucky’s PG1 this season.

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Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball Team Visits Patients at UK Children’s Hospital, “We can brighten somebody’s day”

Published

5 days ago

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June 19, 2026

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Kentucky basketball players spent time at UK Children's Hospital, playing Fortnite and making crafts with young patients.
Chet White/UK Athletics

This year’s Kentucky Basketball roster arrived on campus earlier this month. While summer practice has started as the Cats are getting acclimated to the program, they are also getting acclimated to the community.

As a basketball player at Kentucky, you are more than just an athlete; you are someone many young people around the state look up to.

On Wednesday, the team visited the UK Children’s Hospital to see some of the strongest young people in the state.

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Photos showed players interacting with the children by playing games, creating crafts, and even putting together some toys.

Malachi Moreno revealed during an interview on Thursday that he invited one of the children, a young boy named Jackson, whom he met at DanceBlue, to play the popular video game Fortnite with himself, Kam Williams, and Trent Noah.

“The guys really took in what it means to be a part of this brand,” Moreno said of the experience. “When we walk into a room, we can brighten somebody’s day.”

This is what it’s all about.

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Also posted on A Sea of Blue.

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