John Calipari is known for speaking his mind, and he didn’t mince his words when he addressed the media after the Florida post-game session. Arkansas had visibly crumbled against the Gators and suffered one of the worst defeats under John Calipari (111-77) at the O’Connell Center.
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“They took it to us. Now I will tell you that certainly doesn’t look like my team, the one I was coaching today, but this happens sometimes,” Calipari said, accepting the fact that they were outdone by a better team.
The victory was as resounding as it could be, as the seventh-ranked Florida Gators won the Southeastern Conference Championship with a rowdy crowd in attendance. This victory puts Florida on a nine-game winning streak. Thomas Haugh scored 22 points, and Rueben Chinwelu recorded his 17th double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. Reserves Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown also contributed to establishing a heavy lead from which John Calipari’s men couldn’t recover.
The Gators also stifled the shooting from Arkansas, bringing down their percentage from 51.6 to 40%. The frustration on the court transferred to the sidelines, and Calipari got into a heated argument with Todd Golden during a dead-ball situation that got them drawing technical fouls.
The loss was crushing as Calipari is not used to losing with such a massive deficit. Surprisingly enough, Calipari has, in fact, had a couple of brushes with a similar scoreline in the past.
John Calipari’s Worst Losses in His Coaching Career
John Calipari’s long coaching career has been pretty much blemish-free. Yes, he has suffered losses, but he has never allowed his team to ever get manhandled. Lopsided losses aren’t exactly Calipari’s thing, but with so many games happening and also being a part of a supremely competitive conference, sometimes things tend to happen.
This matched the worst margin of defeat in Calipari’s 34 years. His dejected attitude in the post-game conference clearly tells you why he felt that this wasn’t his team playing on the court.
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Mandatory Credits: via Associated Press
For the record, the last time Calipari faced a similar loss was back in 2018. He was coaching the Kentucky Wildcats back then, and a Duke team under Mike Krzyzewski came out with his star players – Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish, who dominated from the get-go.
It was the first game of the regular season, and Calipari was blown away by the oncoming pressure. Barrett also scored 33 pts against them, and Kentucky couldn’t find an opening to get back within striking distance.
The fact that John Calipari has endured very little when it comes to blowout losses is a testament to how well he has done because the NCAA is unforgiving. A minor slip-up can have severe implications, as was understandable in the Florida game.
Even Billy Richmond’s efforts (22 pts) couldn’t do much to help Arkansas out of the pit they had found themselves in, and now, with two games left against Texas and Missouri, Calipari will have to get the team back on track.