How Staying Loose Helped Kentucky Shake the NCAA Tournament Monkey Off Its Back
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Saint Peter's this, Doug Edert that.
That tiny jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey had the city of Lexington and one of the best college basketball programs of all time in a chokehold for an entire year.
Forget the blue-blood talk, forget the "gold standard," forget the eight national championships. What does any of it matter when the latest and perhaps boldest memory of a team's history in March surrounds a measly No. 15 seed walking out of Gainbridge Fieldhouse with one of the biggest victories of all time at its expense?
In the eyes of some, all the glitz and glam that came with the past means squat. It's a "what have you done for me lately?" world, and Kentucky's answer to that question since the COVID-19 pandemic was simply, "nothing."
Until Friday night, as the Wildcats bruised their way past Providence, 61-53.
While it may only be a Round of 64 win in the NCAA Tournament, it's still a win in the NCAA Tournament, something UK basketball hadn't accomplished since March 29, 2019.
The past may stick with some, but it didn't with Kentucky's players.
"We just come in. I told all my teammates, I told them, I said 'this year we come in and fight. Last year doesn't matter anymore,'" forward Oscar Tshiebwe said. "Now you know this tournament is about fighting. It's about who fights the most. That's the one who is going to keep moving. So we came in with the mentality, and we forget the past, and we're just fighting right now."
Tshiebwe broke the program record for rebounds in a postseason game with 25, obliterating the Friars on the glass. He entered halftime with the same amount of boards (13) as his entire opposition.
"We deserve it. We've been through a lot of ups and downs, to come out with a W in the first round is big time," Jacob Toppin said. "We're not worried about the outside noise. We're worried about this team and we're still writing our stories."
Toppin thrashed his way to 18 points and six rebounds while simultaneously embracing his role as team captain, staying on his teammates and manning the ship as it was gusted toward a win.
"Honestly, like going into this we weren't thinking about last year," CJ Fredrick added. "So, you know, we just had that mentality, playing loose, playing free and going out there for each other and trying to get a win."
All three of those Wildcats sat stunned as Saint Peter's pulled off the unthinkable. All three of those players then made the choice to return to Kentucky for one more run. Tshiebwe needed his get-back, Toppin needed his senior season to propel him to the next level, and Fredrick just wanted to get back on the court and play ball in a big role for his team.
At times, it didn't appear like any of those things were going to happen. Losses stacked up, injuries arose, numbers dropped, as did the positivity surrounding the program.
Kentucky never had the look of a team that was enjoying itself throughout the season. So, Calipari has spent all his power trying to change that. Staying loose became a focal point for he and his players, making sure that the moment that UK found itself in wasn't taken for granted.
"We could care less if they're mad or happy or sad. This is about this group of young people," he said. "I want them to enjoy this experience. No one is going to put added things on their shoulders. I won't let them. Like I told them, have a ball today, and they did."
Have a ball they did. Calipari kept things light with his team, and in returned he witnessed a free-flowing bunch of Cats that didn't play amazing, but played together. Shots didn't always drop, but the heads never did. Smiles and laughter stayed steady on the UK bench for 40 minutes, even when things got close in the second half.
Postgame, the longtime skipper joked with shooting guard Antonio Reeves after making sure to note to the media that the team actually ate dinner with each other without having their headphones on.
“There was so much chatter at dinner," he explained. "There was so much laughter, but it’s hard when you put the earphones on and the hoodie over, and you are looking at your phone to have that kind of experience.”
“What was the game you guys were playing?” Calipari asked Reeves, to which the SG retorted “It’s like a little TikTok game or something."
"Then they got on the bus and did it, and they laughed so hard, but it makes me feel good because my job is to get them to understand, enjoy this experience.”
The Kentucky team that took the floor on Friday night wasn't one that was harping on the blunders of the past, nervous to fall face first on a national stage once again. Kentucky didn't take itself too serious, and just went out with the intention of winning a basketball game while having a little fun.
Mission accomplished.
"If in this tournament winning is a relief, what the heck are you doing here?" Calipari asked, now once again reminded of what victory in March tastes like.
It's been a while, after all.
More on Kentucky-Providence HERE.
Everything John Calipari said after Kentucky's win HERE.
Kentucky will play Kansas State in the Round of 32. More HERE.
Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.
Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.
