Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari shows emotion in the first half against Florida Gators. (Clay Jackson photo)
By LARRY VAUGHT
Kentucky next plays at Vanderbilt Saturday. Several times this season Vandy coach Kevin Stallings has complained about UK not having games on Thursday and Saturday like most SEC teams have had to face this season and also getting to play teams on Saturday that did have a Thursday game and only two days to prepare for the more rested Wildcats.
After Tuesday’s win, Calipari was asked about guarding Florida’s 3-point shots and took a playful jab at Stallings.
“We only had one day obviously to prepare for it. That’s the problem with playing Saturday/Tuesday, you only have one day to prepare,†Calipari smiled and said. “It’s awful. I mean, it’s just ridiculous. But we’ll deal with it.â€
Later the UK coach was asked if he worried how his team might respond at Vanderbilt coming off a 20-point win over a top 10 team.
“We start three freshmen and two sophomores, and Kyle Wiltjer is a freshman off the bench, and a senior. Everything is new to us. I have no idea. That’s why you want to go see. Let’s find out. Let’s see,†Calipari said. “They’ll have tomorrow off. We’ll practice Thursday. We’ll practice Friday. Then we go to Vandy.
“We play a 9 o’clock game. Is it (ESPN) GameDay up there? It’s nuts, doesn’t need to be GameDay. I heard they changed the benches to the sides. Did they? They didn’t. See, that’s a problem.â€
22 Responses to Pregame fun: Calipari jabs Vanderbilt coach over schedule, bench alignment
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Larry, a few years back I asked you about the bench positions and why the SEC doesn’t make Vandy position the benches where everybody else positions them. The positions of the shot clocks are also different than most playing buildingsd and are placed up under the backboards. Vandy is used to this. Teague will ha ve to add this to what he has to pay attention. Ande I don’t know who else has elevated floors. It just seems Vandy uses this to get an advantage over the visiting teams. I’ll probably harp on this until it’s changed or I can’t follow the Cats anymore.
Claude, keep harping and having Cal love you. I also thought it was pretty fun to see Cal that relaxed after the game
Hard not to be relaxed after the last 4 games. Cats are purring like a Porche on race day. I really can’t see anyone stopping us from a trip to the final four.
Larry,
Here’s to hoping our first meeting will be over a table of steaming crawfish and a cold beer! !
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE OR STAY HOME AND PACK FOR THE BIG EASY
I believe that Minnesota has an elevated floor but their benches are on the sideline. I think that Tubby has a chair on the floor, and the players and assistants sit a couple of feet below the floor level.
The fieldhouse at Bradley U, up in Peoria, IL also has had an elevated floor. Don’t know if it is still that way but I played there in the 1960′s and actually fell off the durned thing. Not a fan of such things today.
There isn’t a bigger “CRY BABY” in college basketball than Stallings and he went into this season with a team that was ranked very high and what has he done with them ? Same old thing that he does every year with a good group of players. “nothing”. I like Vandy because I grew up not very far from Nashville and used to follow them but Stallings with his crying all the time is getting “Very Old”
Coach K is a big cry baby too. I don’t know which one is worse. All I know, I like Cal! Right now I think he hung the moon! Not to hang a banner or two will make life perfect! Go Cats!
Love Cal’s sense of humor. It is better than taking a direct shot.
You can bet Stallings will be whining about Cal’s good-natured ribbing–his whining is a constant in Vandy bbll each year. Would you like a little cheese with that, Coach Stallings?
Theresa, let us know what he says
I think I read somewhere that the reason why Vandy put the benches behind the goals was in deference to Coach Rupp so he wouldn’t have to walk as far when he came out of the locker room. He had problems walking when he got older & they wanted to help him out.
LOL
I thought Coach was hilarious. I assume he was talking to Jerry Tipton when he made the remark when asked about why Michael was not smiling. I love seeing him relaxed, and I think the players do better. He did not scream and yell as he normally does from the bench. I agree with others – Stallings is the biggest (well, he may be tied with Stansbury) whiner in the SEC.
you are right about that Sarah
BAAAA-ZING-AAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
HEY KEV…NOTE TO SELF:
GET A TEAM THAT THE ENTIRE NATION WANTS TO SEE PLAY ON SUPER TUESDAY, WHO’S FANS ARE SO NUMEROUS THEY ARE CALLED A “NATION” AND THAT DOESN’T CRASH AND BURN AGAINST INFERIOR COMPETITION EVERY YEAR. THEN AND ONLY THEN, WILL YOU EARN AND WILL THE NCAA PUT TOGETHER A TUESDAY/SATURDAY SCHEDULE FOR YOU. TIL THEN, SHUT UP AND STOP TRYING TO DRAW THE ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE FACT THAT YOUR TEAM IS TANKING AGAIN.
ALSO TRY NOT PLAYING YOUR HOME GAMES IN THAT P.O.S. YOU CALL A “GYMNASIUM”. HOW CAN ANY RECRUIT TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY?
P.S. BY THE WAY…YOU ARE WELCOME FOR ALL THE REVENUE AND RESPECT THAT UK BRINGS TO THE SEC. THE CONFERENCE WOULD RELY ON YOU, BUT THEY DON’T WANT TO FAIL MISERABLY.
Kevin Stallings reminds me of sloth from the movie goonies
he’s not that bad Grant
just having some fun larry
Will admit I used to have some respect for stallings but after watching his first round swan songs in the ncaa tourney and especially after his crying and complaining this year I’m done- I suppose all his current 7 defeats are to be blamed on his schedule of
thursday-saturday- CLEVELAND STATE AND INDIANA STATE?????
Good point about the losses to unranked teams with what was called in the pre-season, Vandy’s most “talented” team ever. At least, our lone loss was to a team that has spent most of the season ranked in the top 25, on their home court, on a last second three. It will be a tough test on the road in a nightmare of a gym, but I think the Cats come out with a 10 point win.
Vandy has been a bit of a disappointment, but this game will still be brutal. Apparently game last night was not even a sellout
I have no doubt that Saturday’s game will be a sellout, although it will be interesting to see how much of the crowd is Blue. It seems like Cat fans always seem to show up in droves in Nashville (although this year that could be said of anywhere the Cats play). There’s no doubt Vandy has some talent, but if the Cats keep their composure and avoid getting into foul trouble, the Cats will get the win. Teague will have to run the team even more at Vandy, with the odd configuration of the benches.