UK coach John Calipari yells during the win over Arkansas. (Victoria Graff photo)
By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky and Vanderbilt are the only two unbeaten teams in Southeastern Conference play and they don’t meet for the first time until Feb. 11 in Nashville.
However, that game is going to be intense for more than just the team’s records.
Earlier this week Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings complained about Kentucky not having to play a Thursday-Saturday setup like nine other league teams do this year, especially since the Cats also didn’t last season.
Friday it was Kentucky coach John Calipari’s turn to voice his side of UK not having any Thursday SEC games on the schedule other than one that precedes a Sunday game rather than a Saturday game.
“I think there are two other teams in our league that don’t. We do have a Thursday game, though, because TV has decided we’re a CBS game and TV decides most of this,” said Calipari. “The option is don’t go on TV and play the date you want to play or play when they want. We sign a TV contract and we have to go with what they say. If they wanted us on every Thursday then we’d play on Thursday and I wouldn’t say a thing.
“Whatever our schedule is, we’ll play. Everyone knows from my history, we’ll play any team, any place, any time. We’ll play on I-95, shut it down. We’ll play on Bluegrass Parkway, shut it down. That’s the schedule, that’s what they threw at us and we’ll take it on.â€
Can’t wait for Feb. 11.
9 Responses to Calipari fires back on Kentucky not having to play Thursday-Saturday SEC games
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Coach Calipari takes grief from nobody, much less a full time whiner like Stallings
To back Cal up ( in case he needs backing), remember last years seeding in the NCAA. Cal didn’t whine he just played what was handed to him and we know where he went.
Great point Jim. Just play the games
Stallings is just trying to cover up the flop his team took after the season started and didn’t meet the preseason rankings. Stallings does more crying than any three coaches in the SEC combined. He has had some good teams at Vandy that just seems to flop and that goes back to POOR coaching.
Amen Professor! As Cal pointed out, ‘The Kats’ have a Thrusday night game on March 1 and a Sunday noon game on March 4 on the road. This shall require travel on Saturday, thus leaving only Friday for rest and prep. With the late night game on Thrusday and travel on Saturday with an away noon game on Sunday, ‘The Kats’ still get only one day to rest and to prep. Their bio clocks could be even more stressed this way than having an away game on Thrusday and a home game in the evening or night on Saturday, especially considering who they play and what might be at stake at that time. All of this is just before the SEC Tourney week. Stress will be at the highest. If not for CBS wanting the game on Sunday, it would have been on Saturday without and rest or prep because Friday would have been a travel day. The facts are not in Stallings’ favor on this. Expect Jerry Tipton to try to make Stallings’ case for him. Get your facts correct before you whine Kevin! We ARE UK!!!!!!!!
Poor Kevin! If he’s not whining, he ain’t talkin’!
Being the whiner that he is—he must be a kentucky football fan!!!!
I like playing on Thurs./Sat or Fri./Sun in March.
My favorite game is on a Monday in April!
monday in april would be very, very nice