USA Today via Reuters
Dec 1, 2020; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson (10) celebrates after a go ahead three point basket against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 1, 2020; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Jalen Wilson (10) celebrates after a go ahead three point basket against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
John Calipari was not impressed with how his Kentucky Wildcats slumped to a loss at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks won the game by three-points, overturning a six-point-deficit heading into the second half.
Kentucky were led by BJ Boston and Davion Mintz in scoring. The pair put up 12 points each, while Isaiah Jackson pulled the same amount down in rebounds. Jackson also had a whopping 8 blocks, showing tremendous upside in his game with this performance. However, Jalen Wilson of the Jayhawks erupted for 21 points in the second half. He ended the game with 23 points and the win.
No. 7 Kansas pushes past No. 20 Kentucky to get the W 💪 pic.twitter.com/SY9xqCKt2d
— ESPN (@espn) December 2, 2020
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Kentucky is 1-2 this season after this loss, and coach John Calipari shared his mind about the loss pretty openly.
“If I was [Kansas head coach] Bill Self, I’d be so happy, because my team was held to 29 percent from the floor and 23 percent from the three and we win. I love those games, just to slog it out. Let me tell you what they did in the second half: They punked us.” (h/t Bleacher Report)
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John Calipari: What can the veteran coach do to bring Kentucky back?
The slow start to the season will be concerning for Calipari. However, he has a lot of freshmen on his team who are getting used to the rigors of college basketball. Teams like this usually peak a little later in the season. However, Kentucky looks like they are on the verge of dropping out of the Top 25 rankings with this loss.
USA Today via Reuters
Nov 25, 2020; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari yells to his team in the second half of the game against Morehead State at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
As sleeper teams in this year’s season keep pulling off upsets, Kentucky needs to steady themselves. But it isn’t all something to frown about. Kentucky’s defense shone in parts against Kansas. Along with that, they lost by one possession to one of the best teams in the country.
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The young squad couldn’t hold on to the lead against Kansas but hopefully can fix these broken ways. There isn’t a better coach than John Calipari to push his player’s maturation period to make them contribute on the court instantly. Their collection of five-star recruits have all the talent, they just need to buy into the system now.
