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John Calipari reacts to Kentucky’s SEC Tournament loss, says Vanderbilt ‘deserved to beat us’
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
John Calipari and his Kentucky squad had a humbling exit from the SEC Tournament, as the Wildcats fell 80-73 vs. Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals.
Ezra Manjon paced Vanderbilt with 25 points in the upset for its second victory vs. Kentucky in the last nine days. This new winning streak vs. Kentucky comes after Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse began his tenure 0-7 vs. the Wildcats.
Senior guard Antonio Reeves scored a team-high 22 points in the loss. Jacob Toppin (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Oscar Tshiebwe (19 points, 15 rebounds) each added double-doubles in the defeat.
Afterward, Kentucky coach John Calipari commended the Commodores. Vanderbilt made 18 of its 20 free throws, while Kentucky missed 11 of its 20 foul shots.
John Calipari after loss to Vanderbilt: "Vandy deserved to beat us. They made their free throws, we missed ours. They made unbelievable shots against the shot clock and we didn't."
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) March 11, 2023
“Vandy deserved to beat us,” Calipari said. “They made their free throws, we missed ours. They made unbelievable shots against the shot clock and we didn’t.”
Calipari added that Kentucky has proven to be an up-and-down team this season despite tremendous talent.
John Calipari with some honesty in the postgame.
"We've shown who we are. We can beat anybody. But I hate to tell you, we can get beat by anybody."
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 11, 2023
“We’ve shown who we are,” Calipari said. “We can beat anybody. But I hate to tell you, we can get beat by anybody.”
Losing early will provide Kentucky the benefit of time.
John Calipari says, "We have got to get three or four practices with a full team. It will be vital… We have to have a couple days to just recover right now."
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 11, 2023
Calipari is hopeful that the rest afforded now will rejuvenate Kentucky leading up to the NCAA Tournament.
“We have got to get three or four practices with a full team. It will be vital…” Calipari said. “We have to have a couple days just to recover right now.”
Now, the Wildcats will have to wait to find out their seeding on Selection Sunday.
