Things did not go well for Kentucky’s men’s basketball team in Saturday night’s home game against Tennessee. The No. 10 ranked Wildcats had few answers for the No. 5 Volunteers and despite a solid offensive effort, Kentucky lost 103-92.
And from all appearances, coach John Calipari didn’t really want to talk about the loss.
When the time came for Calipari’s postgame radio spot, the coach was not there. At least, not the head coach. Orlando Antigua, one of Calipari’s longtime assistants, handled the interview.
https://twitter.com/DanielHagerKSR/status/1753998013364568120
Skipping out on a postgame radio spot after a bad loss is a bad look for any coach, particularly the highest-paid college basketball coach in the country. But for anyone unaware, Calpari’s radio spots aren’t just for fans listening to the postgame on the drive home or from the comfort of their living rooms. This is also something that fans at Rupp Arena stick around to hear — in big numbers. A good example of this came two years ago, coincidentally after Kentucky beat Tennessee.
Of course, the mood of the fans will generally be good after a win. After a loss, it’s a different story. After a loss where the team allows more than 100 points at home to a conference rival, there will likely be more frustration than normal.
So, as one might expect, Calipari’s no-showing after Saturday night’s loss didn’t go over particularly well.
[Daniel Hager on Twitter/X, Drew Franklin on Twitter/X]