John Calipari says team cried after SEC Tournament loss
The players were upset after their upset loss to Texas A&M.
Even before traveling to Nashville, Calipari said this after the regular season finale, “You know the only tournament that matters to me. After this weekend, that tournament.”
While it may not mean a lot to him personally, it is something that Kentucky fans have taken pride in for decades. The Wildcats have won 32 SEC Tournament titles, 24 more than Alabama who is in second with eight.
With the Wildcats’ dominance of the event, it has inherited the name, “The Kentucky Invitational,” with THOUSANDS of fans annually traveling to watch Kentucky extend that record number.
Of course, it is different to say those types of things when you’re still winning the games. But after starting 23-3 in the SEC Tournament in his tenure, Calipari is just 2-5 in the last five SEC Tournaments.
With that, many fans have started to criticize his approach and general lack of care for the SEC Tournament.
In his Selection Sunday interview, Calipari talked about it.
“I feel bad for the fans that went to Nashville to see this team,” he said. “But you should have been in the locker room after the game. Dudes were in tears. In tears.”
It is encouraging to see how much these players care, but to be fair, no one questioned the players. That said, Calipari said it’s not that he doesn’t convey it is important, but rather he attempts to take pressure off of them by encouraging them to look at the tournament differently.
“I just don’t put pressure on them,” Cal said. “I say, ‘We’re playing for a seed. Don’t worry about the tournament, let’s play for a seed and win games.’”
John Calipari says Kentucky players were in tears after losing to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
“I feel bad for the fans that went to Nashville to see this team. But you should have been in the locker room after the game. Dudes were in tears. In tears…”
