We're at a point right now that we've got guys that have to
understand that they didn't come out with the energy of the other team and this
is what happens. If Dakari plays like he's playing, he'll play the most
minutes, which is what he did today. Alex did some good things but there were
breakdowns that killed us. When you get the game to five and six and then you
have breakdown, breakdown, breakdown - it's back to 13 - you can't win. And
that's the stuff we're talking about: mental discipline, which this team does
not have.
We're fine. It's just again, they don't - we're playing
teams that it means something to beat us, and we just think, Well, I'm OK
individually and I'm fine.And when you watch it you say we're not fine. So, you
know, we'll go from here, we'll go back. Johnny O'Bryant killed us. We started
the game, I didn't want to trap. I wanted to see what could happen. Probably a
mistake on my part. Should have trapped from the beginning of the game. They
played the zone. We were tentative. They offensive rebounded; we didn't - the
ones we really needed. Alex was the only guy going after offensive rebounds.
They kind of negated anything Julius (Randle) had. They sent two guys at him.
They played good. You got to give them credit. They played well. We don't have
many teams shoot 50 percent against us like this team did. We're a good
defensive team. Not only that, 10 offensive rebounds, and they create 13
turnovers on us and most of us were in the zone where they're just hands in the
middle of the zone. But they did a great job. You got to give LSU credit.
Well, they switched the starting lineup, and I said that
they must be playing zone then. So they went to a bigger lineup. But we didn't
know before. I thought they'd play mostly man because that's what they play,
but the minute they went big I told the staff they're playing zone. Normally
we're better against zone than we are against man, so it didn't bother me, but
we weren't ready for the physicalness of the game, we weren't ready for the
energy of the game, the viciousness of the game. They beat us to every 50-50
ball, from the beginning of the game to the end, and that's why they won the
game.
When the other team outworks you it's just what it looks
like. And we made it--it was amazing we were in the game. We got down 16, it
could have been 30. We fought back in, we got back to where we were fine, come
the second half, do the same thing. I have to call an immediate timeout, like,
'Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.' So look, this team is in progress, a work in
progress and I've said it. It's all about a process. The process we're at right
now is, will we have the mental toughness to really break through and be the
kind of team we want to be? We didn't show it today. So now we go back and it's
the next game and we continue to work on what we have to work on for us.
We--not doubling Johnny early probably got him going. The rest of it is, you
can't let another team outwork you on every ball, every possession, every free
ball and win a game. Teams are too balanced, especially in our league.
Coach Calipari’s remarks after the loss at LSU 1/28/14
OUTCOACHED AND OUTPLAYED
… IT's CALLED “DESIRE” OR “HEART”
It’s called playing for the pride of that blue Kentucky
jersey…
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