PITTSBURGH — Sitting on the dais in his hometown’s enviornment, Kentucky males’s basketball coach John Calipari was one thing near shell-shocked after his No. 3-seeded Wildcats’ inconceivable 80-76 loss to No. 14-seed Oakland.
Now 1-4 in his previous 5 NCAA event video games, matching this system’s worst five-game span within the event, Calipari thought-about what Thursday evening’s loss might imply for his method to setting up the crew’s roster.
“I’ve achieved this with younger groups my entire profession, and it is going to be onerous for me to vary that, as a result of we have helped so many younger individuals and their households that I do not see myself simply saying, ‘OK, we’re not going to recruit freshmen,'” Calipari mentioned.
Of Kentucky’s 15 rostered gamers, eight had been freshmen and three had been sophomores. Oakland, in the meantime, has one freshman and a pair of redshirt freshmen. 5 of the Grizzlies’ gamers had been both seniors or graduate transfers.
Getting into 2022, Kentucky was 19-0 towards 14-seeds or decrease within the NCAA event, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Data analysis, however it’s 0-2 in video games since, together with the 2022 loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s. The Wildcats had been 13.5-point favorites Thursday evening.
“I am going to have a look at different ways in which we will do stuff, however, you already know, there’s — this factor right here, it is a completely different animal,” Calipari mentioned. “We have been capable of assist so many youngsters and win so many video games and Remaining Fours, nationwide titles and all these things, win league championships with younger guys.
“It is modified on us. Rapidly it is gotten actually previous. So we’re taking part in groups that our common age is nineteen, their common age is 24 and 25. So do I alter due to that? Perhaps add a pair older guys to complement.”
The method to rebuilding from one other early March exit begins instantly after dropping to Oakland, Calipari mentioned.
“We have to determine who’s coming again and who’s not. We obtained this switch stuff happening,” mentioned Calipari, who has been on the helm of the Wildcats since 2009. “We could not want it. We have now an unbelievable group coming in that I really feel actually good about.
“We add some guys and so they keep. I imply, you already know — I’ll — I am going to meet with them tonight. I talked to them after. However I’ll meet with them in my room tonight, and these guys took this actually onerous. I imply, they took it actually onerous, and I took it onerous.”