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John Calipari dissected his team's deficiencies after No. 6 Kentucky's lopsided 79-62 upset loss at South Carolina on Tuesday. The Gamecocks imposed their physical will for 40 minutes on both ends of the floor.
Calipari attributed the blowout to his squad failing to match South Carolina's physicality, energy and effort.
“Look, when a team’s playing physical, you cannot dance with the ball, because they push up and then you try to drive and you can’t go anywhere," Calipari said. "So, when you catch it, you try to go by them and then there’s contact, and it’s a foul.
“You won’t believe this, I said that tonight maybe 30 times. Quit trying to dance, catch the ball, drive the catch, or just catch it square and go by the guy.”
While frustrated, Calipari said that South Carolina (16-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) simply caught fire offensively, with the Gamecocks seemingly unable to miss during a stellar performance.
“My team will be fine, they got manhandled, they all know it and South Carolina shot the ball well," Calipari said. "I mean, I don’t think they’re a 50% 3-point shooting team. Now, against us, everybody makes shots. I was surprised I didn’t see a bank shot today, because we even see those.”
Kentucky (14-4, 4-2) has stifled opponents this season, enabling 42.4% 2-point and 32.0% 3-point shooting. However, Calipari said his team deserved no excuses Tuesday, as red-hot South Carolina scorched the nets by sinking 48.3% of shots overall, including 11 of 24 from deep.
“But I give them credit. They came out, came right after us," Calipari said. "They deserved to win. We had no business. We started the half, I thought OK, let’s get this in check, it’s four points for a while, and then all of a sudden you look up and it’s 12.”
For the second straight season, Lamont Paris orchestrated a Gamecocks upset over Kentucky. While last year struck Rupp Arena, South Carolina's shocker erupted before a raucous home crowd that stormed the court postgame.
John Calipari could only watch as his Wildcats faltered comprehensively, tallying just seven assists and fast break points all night. It marked an across-the-board offensive failure for the befuddled Wildcats.
John Calipari evaluates how Justin Edwards can get playing time
Kentucky Wildcats guard Justin Edwards has seen inconsistent playing time this season, averaging 22.6 minutes per game overall but reaching that mark only once in SEC play. This likely reflects Edwards' inconsistent performance.
UK coach John Calipari talked about what Edwards needs to do to earn more time on the hardwood.
“Just got to keep getting in, got to break through,” Calipari said. “He’s got to know that this is a team that we’ve got a lot of players. And if someone’s playing better than you, they’re going to play in front of you, or you’re going to get your opportunity to go do it.”
In 23 minutes during Kentucky's loss to South Carolina on Tuesday night, Edwards likely didn't make a strong case for more playing time, finishing with just two points, two rebounds, two fouls and a turnover.
Edwards has benefited from strong team play when Kentucky is clicking. The freshman is averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. It could use players like Edwards stepping up on a more consistent basis.
