LEXINGTON, Ky. — Heading into Sunday's basketball game against Georgia Tech, Kentucky coach John Calipari boiled this and any early season down to the essentials: A team will win or accept an "L." Only the "L" might not mean what you think.
"Early in the year, you win or you learn," Calipari said during a video teleconference Friday. "I've learned a lot ... about our team."
That did not sound like a quip as the UK coach talked about his team's 1-2 start to the 2020-21 season.
Tuesday night's loss to Kansas brought a new word into the assessment of the latest freshman-dependent Kentucky team. In addition to needing a more united, selfless purpose to play, UK got "punked" by the Jayhawks in the second half.
To try to prevent that from happening again, Calipari said he had made subsequent practices "a little rough."
Jacob Toppin, a bright spot in the loss to Kansas, suggested that getting punked was an aberration.
"We're all dogs," he said Friday. "We've just got to find our rhythm. We've got to find a way to play with each other. And once we find that rhythm, we're going to start playing tougher. We're going to start playing better."
Calipari repeatedly returned to the team's relative immaturity. The coronavirus pandemic — and the resulting cancellation of exhibitions and so-called "buy games" — didn't help players "learn and figure it out and get their feet wet," he said.
Ditto for not having many fans attending games, thus the absence of this infusion of energy.
"If you have a veteran team, it's not that big a deal," Calipari said.
Of course, it's early. But Kentucky has been the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Through three games, the Cats have made 42.5% of their shots. The low for a Calipari-coached UK team is the 42.4% in 2017-18. The relatively microscopic 19.1% accuracy from 3-point range includes 3 for 31 (9.7%) in the last two games. The low for a UK team coached by Calipari is 24.5% last season.
"We are in a little slump," a diplomatic Toppin conceded. "We're putting up shots (in practice) and we're making shots. We just have to find a way to translate that into the game."
Calipari echoed that thought and added that the players needed to shoot in a comfortable rhythm.
After the home loss to Richmond last week, Calipari said that point guard play needed to improve. Through three games, UK has more turnovers (52) than assists (31). Freshman starter Devan Askew has 11 turnovers and five assists. Backup Davion Mintz has five of each.
Georgia Tech has veteran guards in Jose Alvarado (18.5 ppg and an 11-to-five assist to turnover ratio) and junior Michael Devoe (19.0 ppg).
Calipari suggested freshman Terrence Clarke as a player who might get time at point guard.
"How do we play if I want to go with a bigger guard?" the UK coach said. "Can we play Terrence? Does he have the self-discipline to play the position?"
Clarke, who is 6-foot-7, has seven assists and nine turnovers through three games.
In his last season as Memphis coach, Calipari turned point guard duties over to 6-6 Tyreke Evans.
On the down side, Evans monopolized the ball 75% of the time, Calipari said. Subsequent film study led Calipari to quip, "He needed it 85 percent of the time."
Calipari cited several adjustments led by an unequivocal pronouncement: "This has to be a defensive team."
On offense, Kentucky must also establish a more productive post game, he said before reviving his familiar quote about an inadequate post game means a team is a "fraud."
UK must also set more screens. Calipari said there were none set in the loss to Richmond and "very few" against Kansas.
Inevitably for a team with six freshmen in its rotation, Calipari mentioned lack of maturity as an issue.
"They want to move into a man's world," the UK coach said, presumably meaning the NBA. "Well, you can't be a child moving into a man's world. So there are things aside from basketball we've got to do."
At this early stage, players barely out of high school consider basketball meaning to catch the ball, dribble twice and shoot a fade-away, Calpari said.
When asked what he envisioned from this team in January, Calipari said, "None of us know."
Toppin said the UK players are not overreacting to two losses in the first three games.
"We have a lot of learning to do, and that's exactly what we're doing ...," he said. "I don't think we're dwelling too much on those losses because it's only the third game of the season."
Calipari also spoke of a long-term view even with Kentucky facing future December games against two teams that received votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll: Louisville (4-0) and UCLA (2-1). UK also plays Notre Dame (0-1) on Dec. 12.
"I'm not going to panic," Calipari said. "I'm not thrilled with our start. I'm not thrilled with our schedule. But both are what they are. My job is how do we get better."
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