LEXINGTON, Ky. — One year ago in an elevator at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Indianapolis, Mark Story and I were debating whether what he had just witnessed — No. 2 seed Kentucky’s shocking loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s — qualified as the worst NCAA Tournament defeat in program history.
Our colleague, Jerry Tipton, shook his head at our foolishness.
“These things happen,” said Jerry as the elevator doors opened. “These things happen.”
Fast forward to last Sunday when this year’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show revealed Kentucky as a No. 6 seed playing No. 11 seed Providence on Friday in Greensboro, N.C. Afterward, the subject of last season’s upset found its way into John Calipari’s meeting with the media.
“That’s the first time in my career that’s happened,” said the UK coach.
Not exactly. As a No. 7 seed, Cal’s Memphis team lost to No. 10 seed Arizona State in the first round of the 2003 tournament. To Jerry’s point, however, Cal’s not the only elite college basketball coach to suffer a jarring early exit from the Big Dance.
Now retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski suffered four first-round NCAA losses, including two as a No. 2 seed. Coach K never lost in the round of 64 in back-to-back seasons, however. Other highly successful members of his brethren have not been so lucky.
The recently and awkwardly retired Jim Boeheim lost back-to-back first-round matchups at Syracuse in 2005 and 2006. Kansas’ Bill Self lost first-round games in those very same tournaments. Gonzaga’s Mark Few lost first-round NCAA games in 2007 and 2008.
Even future St. John’s coach Rick Pitino lost back-to-back first-round games at Louisville in 2010 and 2011. Two years later, Pitino was celebrating his second national title after U of L beat Michigan. The NCAA vacated the title, but, hey, you get the point. An early tournament loss does not kill a coaching career.
That being said, Friday is an important game for John Calipari. As we know, Kentucky nosedived to 9-16 in the COVID season of 2020-21. His 2021-22 team was 26-8, but suffered that abrupt Big Dance banishment. This year’s Cats have dropped 11 games, including four at home. They exited the SEC Tournament winless.
True, Kentucky has the consensus No. 1 recruiting class coming next season, as Calipari referenced Sunday. That doesn’t have the same cache it once did, however. Cal’s recruits have consistently been among the nation’s best, yet Kentucky hasn’t graced the Final Four since 2015.
That’s understandable. Not even Kentucky could realistically be expected to continue Calipari’s roll his first six seasons — national title in 2012; Final Fours in 2011, 2014 and 2015. That isn’t to say Kentucky basketball fans are always realistic.
So what would it take for Calipari to calm BBN’s nerves? Advancing out of Greensboro would be a start.
The Cats are a four-point favorite Friday. Providence stumbled down the stretch, losing three straight and four of its last five. The Friars are excellent offensively — No. 16 nationally according to Ken Pomeroy — but often struggle on defense. Their last three opponents were a combined 33-of-68 from three-point range for 48.5 percent.
There’s the Ed Cooley factor. The Providence coach is reported to be high on fellow Big East school Georgetown’s list of candidates for its coaching vacancy. And why not? Cooley took the Friars to the Sweet 16 last year where Providence lost 66-61 to eventual champion Kansas. Now Cooley has his team back in the NCAA Tournament. The Georgetown chatter could be a distraction.
If Kentucky can get past Providence, Kansas State probably awaits. Those Wildcats were 4-4 over their last eight games. They play in the nation’s toughest conference, the Big 12, however. They also boast former Florida star Keyontae Johnson, who has fashioned a terrific comeback season.
UK fans are more worried about the Kentucky Wildcats and the direction of the program. As this year’s tournament begins, the aftershocks of last year’s Saint Peter’s loss still linger. Yes, these things happen, but no program wants them to happen again.
