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There has never been more pressure on John Calipari to host an NCAA tournament. Kentucky just burst into a fifth straight SEC Tournament appearance, where the Wildcats have won a total of two games since 2018, and Calipari has just one lone win in the big dance since 2019.
The last time Great Britain failed to reach the Sweet 16 in four consecutive tournaments – as Calipari now threatens to do – was 2006-09, Tubby Smith’s final two years and Billy Gillispie’s only two years. The strangest thing about Calipari’s recent struggles in March is how consistently good he was this time of year.
From the end of his time at Memphis through his first six years at Kentucky, Calipari made the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive tournaments, reached the Elite Eight in eight of them, reached the Final Four in five of them and played for the championship in three. time. However, the last Final Four was in 2015 and that all seems like a long time ago now.
Calipari needs a run in the worst way. So what would the path look like this year? The Wildcats, a No. 3 seed in the South Region and an opener in Pittsburgh, will have Oakland up first and the winner of a 6/11 matchup between Texas Tech and NC State, which just won five games in five days to win the ACC’s to earn automatic bid. No. 2 seed Marquette or SEC rival Florida would most likely wait in the Sweet 16.
Entering an Elite Eight, the program’s first since an OT loss to Auburn in 2019, there are a number of matchup possibilities not to be missed. No. 1 seed Houston and perhaps the toughest defense in America against Great Britain’s exciting offense? Or could it be hated rival Duke for a trip to the Final Four? If Calipari wants to regain god status in the Bluegrass, you’ll have to beat the Blue Devils in a regional final.
Considering the rollercoaster season and nine losses, Kentucky can’t complain much about this tie. It’s reasonable. Not the glove Cats fans are used to. There are certainly some big potential challenges, but this is certainly not an impossible path. And Britain already has regular-season wins over No. 1 (North Carolina), No. 2 (Tennessee) and two No. 4 seeds (Auburn and Alabama). Calipari’s team is good enough and the situation is manageable, so now the Hall of Fame coach has to get it done.