The First Tournament Win is Out of the Way, But Nerves Weren't There to Begin With for Kentucky
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Kentucky basketball is riding with the rah-rah mentality as it seeks its first appearance in a Sweet 16 since 2019.
The Wildcats completed a total makeover before it got on its flight to North Carolina. Sayonara to the head-down, somber tones that had filled Rupp Arena over the past couple of months. This version of Kentucky is here to have fun, regardless of the chatter that's trying to infiltrate the locker room.
Coach John Calipari is keeping things goofy, while trying one final time to pull all that talent in the UK locker room together, and morph it into a championship-winning team that would defy all odds, even for a blue-blood program.
He even — allegedly — played the TikTok game that he and Antonio Reeves jawed about after Kentucky's 61-53 win over Providence on Friday night.
"He actually played it today (laughing) during our practice," point guard Cason Wallace said. "Would he be good at it? Probably not." Chris Livingston added "I don't know if he could react fast enough."
Calipari denied the heinous allegations, but did double down on clicking with his team by any means, even if he looks like an out-of-touch dad trying to talk to his son about the latest video game or dance, like he's got a backwards cap on a skateboard over his shoulder.
By the way, he's still caught up on 'The Waltons' and 'Little House on the Prairie,' so, rest easy knowing that. No word on 'Bonanza,' though.
The fun shined through on the court, even if the box score wasn't exactly appealing to the naked eye. Kentucky made just seven baskets in the final 20 minutes, but superbly stout defense held Providence to only eight makes.
Frustration seeped in for the Friars, resulting in smiles and laughter for the Cats. The new mindset stonewalled the old from even thinking about creeping back in. It presents an opportunity for UK to take a new identity and run with it, hopefully all the way to Houston for the Final Four.
"I think we did a really good job of staying locked in, not being nervous and playing free," Livingston said. "Now that we have that one game under our belt, I think it's going to be good for us to carry that into the next game."
But, this is Kentucky we're speaking of. The same team that lost at home to South Carolina, and on the road at Georgia, and twice to Vanderbilt in the span of nine days. This is the same team that was at one point counted all the way out of making the Big Dance in the first place.
There has been no pattern to follow. After the loss to the Gamecocks, a win at Tennessee sparked a stretch that saw the Cats win six of seven games. Turning the corner, right?
Wrong. Arkansas entered Rupp Arena and won by 15, subsequently leading to the defeat in Athens. But then, four wins in a row in February to get off the NCAA Tourney bubble. Turning the corner, right?
Wrong. Jordan Wright and Vandy came to town to spoil Senior Night, then won again next week in Nashville in the SEC Tournament. All anyone knew about Kentucky was it was best not to guess about an outcome, because the opposite is probably going to occur instead.
Now, seemingly with a new lease on life, Kentucky finds itself at the beginning of another potential winning streak. Defeat has shown no signs of creeping up in the past, so how do the players try and prevent it from tossing them out of March Madness in a sudden heap?
Well, play more TikTok games. Crack more jokes. Don't worry about how big the moment may be. Easier said than done, but UK seems up for the task.
"We've got to worry about ourselves. Just being loose and free out there once the ball goes for tip-off. So I feel like we are well-prepared, and we'll be ready," Wallace said.
"I feel like everyone's still in a great mindset," Jacob Toppin added. "Everyone's still positive. So just we just got to go into this game again, loose and free and just fight and hopefully come out with a W."
Toppin has been at the head of it all, letting emotion fly in the best way possible on the floor, smiling after taking charges, dapping up his teammates after a bucket, but also talking to them after a mistake, keeping heads on straight.
It also helps when you're playing as well as the senior has been as of late. Toppin scored 18 points and had six rebounds in the win over the Friars, muscling his way to the rim at will. It all comes back to the clear vision that he and the Cats are zeroed in on in Greensboro.
"My confidence is like sky high right now," he said. "That's because my teammates believe in me, the coaching staff believes me, but at the end of the day, I'm really just focused on this team and what this team needs me to do, so that takes the pressure off my offense."
Toppin has been as open as ever about the mental struggles that he's faced over the course of the season. Calipari has seen him first-hand rebound from hitting rock-bottom, to now reaching the upper-echelon of his game, while having a blast doing it.
"You are looking at these kids like they're your own children, and you see what he has done, you don't think I'm ecstatic for this kid and his family? I told his mom, I'm so proud of your son because he was in a tough place," Calipari said.
Toppin's extreme highs and lows encapsulate the season as a whole for Kentucky. Now, it currently finds itself riding one of those waves that could soar it to the top. Calipari continues to make sure that his players are enjoying the experience on playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Sure, that sudden low might rear its head and send UK home packing, but why worry about that? Its next opponent, Kansas State, is the No. 3 seed in the East Region for a reason and will do all it can to advance to the Sweet 16, but what's the point in fear at this time of the year?
"I want them to have a great experience," Calipari explained. "Don't listen to anybody try to steal your joy: They've got to do this, he's got to do that, that guy, we've got -- that means nothing. Just go have fun. Let's see where this goes if we have enjoyment. If two teams are enjoying the game and playing well, probably who has the ball last wins."
The fun continues on Sunday afternoon inside Greensboro Coliseum, as Kentucky and Kansas State are set to tipoff at 2:40 p.m. EST. The game will air on CBS.
Kentucky will play Kansas State in the Round of 32. More HERE.
Everything John Calipari said after Kentucky's win HERE.
How staying loose helped Kentucky get the NCAA Tournament monkey off its back HERE.
More on Kentucky-Providence HERE.
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