John Calipari’s Postgame Press Conference at Mississippi State

John Calipari spoke to the media within the bowels of Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum after his Kentucky Wildcats survived a scare from the Bulldogs in a must-win sport for each groups. Kentucky led for greater than 35 of the 40 sport minutes, however the closing two had been an exhilarating end after Mississippi State made seven straight baskets to have an opportunity. Kentucky held on by making its free throws.

Afterward, Calipari spoke for over seven minutes about what it took to win on the highway and what’s forward for the Wildcats. His “Refuse to Lose” mantra is again and he was fiery in discussing the evening.

“There are lots of groups rooting in opposition to us as a result of individuals don’t need to play us in that match,” he mentioned. “I acquired staff.”

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Transcript

Kentucky Head Coach John Calipari

Q: Is the rebounding on this sport the grit you’ve been speaking about? 

JC: “Yeah, we talked about it. Mississippi State, what they’ve carried out on this profitable streak and what they’ve carried out to good groups, they’ve dominated offensive rebounds. They’ve outhustled, been more durable and turned individuals over. We had one man [Cason Wallace] go 1-for-13, and we gained the sport … He had 11 assists although. He defended and the largest rebounds, Cason [Wallace] got here up with. Oscar [Tshiebwe] is starting to be himself, not fairly there but. They’d a small man on Chris [Livingston]. So, we posted him up 4 or 5 straight instances. It’s stuff that now we have. So, we didn’t should do one thing new. We simply wished to get him the ball on the cuts.” 

Q: How did the nothing to lose mentality assist your staff? 

JC: “The largest factor I’ve been speaking about to them is ‘Refuse to Lose.” Chances are you’ll run out of time, however refuse to lose. Simply hold combating. In the present day, we missed that one free throw. Then, we miss a few three’s. No matter we do to groups, it seems like they shoot 90 % from the free throw line. It doesn’t matter when you normally shoot 50 %. In case you go in opposition to us, you shoot 90 %. We made the performs on the finish. The play at halftime made me mad as a result of we had been going to allow them to catch it. Adou [Thiero] tried to go get it, and that child [Cameron Matthews] makes the three. I believed it was a hard-fought sport for each groups.”

Q: How does the nice free throw capturing on the finish impact your staff? 

JC: “It’s the way you win video games. I’ve had a number of the worst free throw capturing groups ever, however they made pictures within the final 4 or 5 minutes. Hopefully that’s what this staff is. Cason [Wallace] knocked his down, Oscar [Tshiebwe] went 3-for-4 and Chris [Livingston] made his.” 

Q: What did you consider the surroundings at Humphrey Coliseum? 

JC: “It’s all the time loopy right here. It’s been nuts each time we’ve performed right here. To get out of right here in opposition to a staff who’s on hearth proper now was an enormous deal for us.” 

Ahead Chris Livingston

Q: What modified at halftime for you? 

CL: “[Coach] Cal was holding me to a excessive customary. He was being arduous on me as a result of he expects far more out of myself in the course of the sport. That’s his job. Within the second half, I knew I needed to play more durable and make some performs to make up for the way I performed within the first half.” 

Q: How a lot did the refuse to lose mentality impact you within the second half?

CL: “Down the second half stretch with about seven minutes left, that was all we had been saying. Refusing to lose. When it hit 4 minutes, we mentioned it’s profitable time. It’s that point of the season.”

Q: Was there something that clicked for you within the second half?

CL: “It was extra of a mindset. It was a mindset factor. Coach [Calipari] was on me, and I additionally didn’t need to lose. I used to be taking part in as arduous as I may attempting to make profitable performs, whether or not that’s getting deflections or rebounds. I used to be attempting to win.”

Q: Would you name this a breakout sport for you?

CL: “Yeah, I suppose you could possibly say that. It was simply the mindset of not desirous to lose. So, I used to be simply making profitable performs, whether or not that was scoring or rebounding. That was the mindset that I had, and I needed to play with that vitality.”

Ahead Jacob Toppin

Q: What was your takeaway of the general effort everybody had?

JT: “We knew coming into this sport it wasn’t going to be something however a battle. We refused to lose as we speak. We fought and made our runs late. They made their runs late. We caught it via, dug deep and acquired the win.”

Q: How huge was the 18-2 run?

JT: “Clearly, we went on a run. We understood that basketball is a sport of runs. We knew they had been going to go on their run. We may’ve backed down and allow them to win the sport, however we didn’t. We saved combating, stayed collectively and dug deep to get the win.”

Q: What’s it about this staff when your backs are in opposition to the wall?

JT: “That’s one factor about us, we’re by no means going to again down. We’re in a gap proper now, however we’re going to dig out of it. We consider we’re going to dig out of it. We’re a terrific group of men who’re going to remain collectively, and we’re going to proceed to battle to the top. We’re going to determine this out and switch it round. It began as we speak, we acquired W.”