John Calipari Addresses Bizarre Nose-to-Nose Confrontation With Referee

Kentucky coach John Calipari has had some run-ins with referees during his legendary coaching career, but what occurred during the first half of his team’s win over Alabama on Saturday night might have been the weirdest one of them all.

Calipari, after a stoppage that eventually led to Kentucky being awarded two free throws after a technical foul, was shown yelling at referee Pat Adams. He ran over to the coach and got right in his face, and the two essentially went nose-to-nose as they argued.

Calipari looked quite upset during the back-and-forth. His assistants eventually got him out of the situation. 

The Wildcats coach was not assessed a technical foul in the aftermath.

Calipari was asked about the incident after the game and praised Adams, calling him a ‘good guy.’ He did also say that Adams ‘charged’ him, which led to the altercation.

Kentucky prevailed, 90-81, to move to 11-3 in the SEC with a 22-5 overall record. The Wildcats trail just Auburn in the conference (by one game) and are building a strong case for a high seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Calipari was particularly happy with the crowd’s efforts during the game—especially since Kentucky trailed by 13 late in the first half.

The Wildcats will finish up with season with contests against LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Florida before moving to the postseason.