Cloudy and windy during the evening with a few showers developing late. Low 41F. S winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..
Tonight
Cloudy and windy during the evening with a few showers developing late. Low 41F. S winds at 20 to 30 mph, decreasing to 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari shouts to his players on the court during the second half of a first-round game against Providence in the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Greensboro, N.C.
Kentucky head coach John Calipari shouts to his players on the court during the second half of a first-round game against Providence in the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Greensboro, N.C.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kentucky head coach and hall of famer John Calipari had plenty to say about Kansas State Saturday afternoon leading up to Sunday’s round of 32 NCAA Tournament matchup.
The game will be the third Cal has played versus K-State since arriving at Kentucky, and all three have been in the NCAA Tournament.
In 2014, James Young, Julius Randle and the Harrison twins beat No. 9 K-State in the opening round of the tournament as an underseeded No. 8 seed on their way to a loss to UConn in the title game.
In 2018, a ninth-seeded K-State team led by Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes, Cartier Diarra and freshman Mike McGuirl knocked off fifth-seeded Kentucky for a trip to the Elite Eight.
The only constant between those two games and Sunday’s matchup is Calipari, who will face Jerome Tang in the two’s first meeting as head coaches, even though Kentucky and Baylor has squared-off several times in Calipari’s 14 years in Lexington.
“(Tang) has done a great job,” Calipari said. “I mean, (K-State is) defensively disruptive and scrappy. They get 50/50 balls, have freedom offensively and they space the court. (They have) a bunch of really good players. (Tang) has done a great job. And you think of where they were and where they are now and where they’re headed, oh, (he's done a) great job.”
Calipari also mentioned how impressed he was with senior guard Markquis Nowell and how the undersized point guard offers the 31-year veteran coach a completely unique challenge.
“No, (I’ve never played against someone like him),” Calipari said. “He’s quick, has big-time usage and creates for his teammates. He’s an All-American, and he deserves to be.”
Calipari also pointed to junior Nae’Qwan Tomlin as another key threat for his Wildcats to grapple with.
“He is a good player,” Calipari said. “(K-State) has guys that are kind of positionless. Like, would you say is he a 4 or a 3? Is he a 5? What is he? He is just a basketball player, and he is a good athlete.”
Senior star Keyontae Johnson, who squared off against Kentucky a couple times when he was at Florida, also had a special connection of Calipari.
On senior night last season, Calipari offered then-Florida head coach Mike White an opportunity for Johnson, who had missed the entire season after collapsing on the floor during a game the season prior, to receive the opening tip and score the first two points in what could’ve been the senior’s final basketball game ever.
White appreciated the offer, but declined out of an abundance of caution for Johnson’s health, and Johnson heard about the offer sometime after the game.
“It means a lot from Coach Cal,” Johnson said. “He is one of the great coaches. We have a great relationship. Just playing against them and just showing the respect they have for my game. Last year he wanted me to score, but I didn’t know at the time. But I really appreciate Coach Cal and everything he has done.”
The two teams tip off Sunday at 1:40 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
