John Calipari answered the question in his postgame press conference immediately after Kentucky’s embarrassing loss to Oakland on Thursday. It was the same answer he has consistently given. And it’s time we all stop asking. This is the Calipari way, and that way isn’t changing.

The only question worth asking now in Lexington is if this is the Kentucky way.

With its latest NCAA Tournament disappointment — a 4-point loss to 14-seed Oakland despite sitting as a double-digit favorite at most Kentucky sportsbooks — Calipari was inundated with questions about his approach to roster construction. Calipari reloads through recruiting. It’s not exactly a “build,” because the pieces change each year as youngsters with immense promise leave for the NBA after just a year or 2 in Cal’s program.

Cal recruits better than anyone. And year after year, those teams work their way through the regular season figuring out how to play together. When the postseason arrives, they self-destruct in the face of college veterans.

The 2015-16 Wildcats had Jamal Murray and lost in the Round of 32. The 2016-17 Wildcats had De’Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo, and Malik Monk and lost in the Elite Eight. The 2017-18 Wildcats had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and lost in the Sweet 16. The 2018-19 Wildcats had Immanuel Quickley and Tyler Herro and lost in the Elite Eight.

Kentucky has 1 single NCAA Tournament win since.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor has 2 Kentucky players off this latest roster being taken in the top 8 of the 2024 NBA Draft. A third (Justin Edwards) is projected to be a late-first-rounder. Kentucky doesn’t just produce draft picks under Calipari, it produces bona fide NBA players.

“Can I do some humble brag up here?” he asked before diving into a lengthy rundown of his tenure before Kentucky’s first-round game. “So, 70% of the players who accept a scholarship with us get drafted. Of that, 73% get to second contracts. The guys in the league right now have made over $4 billion — not million, billion — and when you talk Bam, Maxey, Devin, De’Aaron, Shai is going to make 400. I mean, it’ll be $6 billion in the next 2 years. You come to Kentucky to prepare yourself for the rest of your life.”

This is the Calipari way. And it has been very successful! Years ago, Calipari said his goal was to send players to the NBA, not to win titles for Kentucky.

In the aftermath of Thursday night’s loss, he hinted at the same North Star.

“I’ve done this with young teams my whole career and it’s going to be hard for me to change that because we’ve helped so many young people and their families that I don’t see myself just saying, ‘OK, we’re not going to recruit freshmen,'” Calipari said. “I mean, the thing that we’ve been blessed with is families bring their sons to us and we do what we’re supposed to do to help them prepare for the rest of their lives.”

If Kentucky chooses to move on from Calipari this offseason, it would owe him $33 million. While some immediately dispelled the notion on Thursday, it wouldn’t be unheard of. Texas A&M just fired Jimbo Fisher despite the existence of a buyout that was said to be too big to eat.

Should those with enough sway in the Bluegrass State decide it’s worth it, Kentucky will find the money. That’s just the reality of college athletics today.

So, Kentucky, is the Calipari way your way? Because it is clearly not the winning way.

“The era of taking these young freshmen and trying to play against older players is over,” former Villanova coach Jay Wright said Thursday night on Tournament Central. “I think he did a phenomenal job with these guys all year getting them to be as successful as they were. You can see they’re playing against grown men.

“The guys on Kentucky will be far better pros than any of these guys on Oakland, or any of these guys in the tournament. But they’re not as good college basketball players. At this point in their career, they’re not as disciplined yet as the guys from Oakland. And it’s not Cal’s fault. It’s (that) they’re 18 years old and they’re in this era where everyone’s telling them how great they are, just show up in college and you’re gonna win. It doesn’t happen that way. And the more that guys stay in college because of NIL, it’s going to be tougher for teams like this to be successful.”

Related: Want to bet on the rest of the NCAA Tournament? Will Oakland play Cinderella a bit longer? Will a team like Tennessee finally crack the Final Four? Saturday Down South has the tools to help you get in on the action at some of the best sportsbooks to win real money.

KenPom tracks average Division I experience for every team. Here’s how Calipari’s most recent teams have looked:

  • 2023-24: 1.76 years of experience (196th)
  • 2022-23: 2.23 years (118th)
  • 2021-22: 1.87 years (186th)
  • 2020-21: 1.19 years (264th)
  • 2019-20: 1.12 years (284th)
  • 2018-19: 1.03 years (298th)
  • 2017-18: 0.21 years (351st)
  • 2016-17: 0.63 years (341st)
  • 2015-16: 0.77 years (323rd)

For reference, here are the teams that have knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament:

  • 2023-24 Oakland: 2.18 years (107th)
  • 2022-23 Kansas State: 2.81 years (30th)
  • 2021-22 Saint Peter’s: 1.89 years (177th)
  • 2018-19 Auburn: 1.97 years (65th)
  • 2017-18 Kansas State: 1.57 years (158th)
  • 2016-17 North Carolina: 1.87 years (75th)
  • 2015-16 Indiana: 2.01 years (49th)

The last 3 national champions have all had rosters with at least 2 years of average D1 experience.

And that’s not even the full picture, just Division I experience. Jack Gohlke spent 5 years at the D2 level before joining Oakland this season. He’s older than Tyrese Maxey, who is in his fourth NBA season.

Calipari said Thursday night that he liked the way he coached his team this season.

“I like what we were doing offensively,” Calipari said. “How do we get tougher? How do we get more physical? My teams defensively in rebounding have all been better than this, but we’ve never been like this offensively.”

Kentucky posted a 119.2 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions). That’s the best of the Calipari era, and it still wasn’t enough to make any postseason noise. Kentucky didn’t even win a game at the SEC Tournament.

If Kentucky brings Calipari back, next season should bring more of the same. The 2024 signing class ranks second nationally and features a pair of 247 Composite 5-star players.

“We may not need (the transfer portal). We have an unbelievable group coming in that I feel really good about,” Calipari said Thursday.

Ball’s in your court, Kentucky.