Stay tuned for the latest news and notes on the Cats as I follow along with the Coach Cal show tonight...
* Calipari starts show by saying how important the next two weeks are in staying healthy and keeping those around us healthy. All the signs are pointing toward it being the peak of Omicron issues. He notes how good it is that 91% of UK's campus is vaccinated. Wants people to keep masking up for games, preferably the KN95 models.
* Cal says Sahvir Wheeler seems to be getting better. Has been working out on his own. Has two days to practice and see where he is. "Nice to know we can play without him, but his disruptiveness on both sides of the ball" is important to Cats.
* If you're not ready and willing to play a physical game, Tennessee is not for you, Cal says.
* Next four games are ranked opponents with three on the road. "This is where we win or we learn," Cal says.
* Cal watched the tape on the trip back to Lexington. Thought they had played great and only had 78 points. Couldn't believe they didn't score for the last 6:15. Really frustrated with that. Got a little careless, missed front-ends of FTs. And it was guards missing them. The team is going to rewatch that last 6:15 and go over it some more.
* Cal says TyTy Washington is the type of kid who goes out and gets the first 7 of a game, and you think maybe it's a kid who's thinking "I'm gonna get 50," but he's not wired that way. Such a team player.
* Cats have a smart team, really engaged, Cal said. Got a message from a kid today saying, "I've never had more fun playing basketball."
* Shaedon Sharpe walked in, and after a few days, said "Oh my God. This is what it's like?" Cal says it's different, a wake-up call, even for a kid who's the No. 1 recruit in the country.
* Asked if he's considered playing four guards together, Calipari said if the Cats were a little bigger, he would consider it. Not quite enough size, especially with an opponent coming up like Tennnessee. Who do you put on Fulkerson? "It's easy to say that -- just put four guards out there -- but you have to stop people."
* Asked about foul calls being down... Cal says he doesn't think they're letting much go, although he thought the LSU game was a bit handsy. They won't let you get away with the obvious rough play stuff, but they may be letting some stuff go where offensive guys are creating the contact. They've gotten away from letting guys flop, too, Cal says, "and it's made our game better."
* On his friendship with UT coach Rick Barnes... Cal laughs and says he's known him since he had hair down to his shoulders. Barnes would come to Pitt's camp back in the day with his "toss-back" device where you could bounce the ball off it and do various drills. "Terrific coach. Great human being." Cal said he was the guy who advised Barnes to come in and take the Tennessee job. "But I didn't expect him to come in and beat us a bunch."
* League is great this year, just as he expected. Thinks they're all going to beat each other up as the season rolls along.
* UK-UT will be hard-fought, 40-minute game, Cal says.
* Calipari starts show by saying how important the next two weeks are in staying healthy and keeping those around us healthy. All the signs are pointing toward it being the peak of Omicron issues. He notes how good it is that 91% of UK's campus is vaccinated. Wants people to keep masking up for games, preferably the KN95 models.
* Cal says Sahvir Wheeler seems to be getting better. Has been working out on his own. Has two days to practice and see where he is. "Nice to know we can play without him, but his disruptiveness on both sides of the ball" is important to Cats.
* If you're not ready and willing to play a physical game, Tennessee is not for you, Cal says.
* Next four games are ranked opponents with three on the road. "This is where we win or we learn," Cal says.
* Cal watched the tape on the trip back to Lexington. Thought they had played great and only had 78 points. Couldn't believe they didn't score for the last 6:15. Really frustrated with that. Got a little careless, missed front-ends of FTs. And it was guards missing them. The team is going to rewatch that last 6:15 and go over it some more.
* Cal says TyTy Washington is the type of kid who goes out and gets the first 7 of a game, and you think maybe it's a kid who's thinking "I'm gonna get 50," but he's not wired that way. Such a team player.
* Cats have a smart team, really engaged, Cal said. Got a message from a kid today saying, "I've never had more fun playing basketball."
* Shaedon Sharpe walked in, and after a few days, said "Oh my God. This is what it's like?" Cal says it's different, a wake-up call, even for a kid who's the No. 1 recruit in the country.
* Asked if he's considered playing four guards together, Calipari said if the Cats were a little bigger, he would consider it. Not quite enough size, especially with an opponent coming up like Tennnessee. Who do you put on Fulkerson? "It's easy to say that -- just put four guards out there -- but you have to stop people."
* Asked about foul calls being down... Cal says he doesn't think they're letting much go, although he thought the LSU game was a bit handsy. They won't let you get away with the obvious rough play stuff, but they may be letting some stuff go where offensive guys are creating the contact. They've gotten away from letting guys flop, too, Cal says, "and it's made our game better."
* On his friendship with UT coach Rick Barnes... Cal laughs and says he's known him since he had hair down to his shoulders. Barnes would come to Pitt's camp back in the day with his "toss-back" device where you could bounce the ball off it and do various drills. "Terrific coach. Great human being." Cal said he was the guy who advised Barnes to come in and take the Tennessee job. "But I didn't expect him to come in and beat us a bunch."
* League is great this year, just as he expected. Thinks they're all going to beat each other up as the season rolls along.
* UK-UT will be hard-fought, 40-minute game, Cal says.
