‘Fire John Calipari’ Trends on Twitter Following Kentucky Upset to Saint Peter’s

No. 2 Kentucky lost 85–79 to No. 15 Saint Peter’s in round one of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

The game went into overtime before the Wildcats ultimately lost in the biggest upset of the tournament so far this year. 

Fans immediately took to Twitter following the game to criticize coach John Calipari’s leadership this season and during the game. “Fire John Calipari” was trending on Twitter.

Fans specifically criticized how Calipari tends to recruit really good players, such as this year’s SEC Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe—a transfer from West Virginia—but the players don’t finish with strong results on the collegiate level. 44 Kentucky players have been drafted to the NBA under Calipari’s leadership. Kentucky is known for having the most first round draft picks all-time with 55 total, 32 of which have come during Calipari’s tenure.

Since Calipari took over the Kentucky head coach role in 2009, the Wildcats have only won one national title, back in 2012. Kentucky hasn’t reached the Final Four since 2015.

Fans were upset with Kentucky’s early round exit, with 6% of bracket makers chose the Wildcats to cut the nets in April.