LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The confluence of events was too much not to note on Tuesday night. Here were Kentucky and Mark Pope, beating their second nationally ranked opponent in as many games, loving life after a win over No. 11 Texas A&M in Rupp Arena.
And there was John Calipari, unable to muster the offense necessary to beat LSU on the road, his fourth straight loss to open SEC play in Arkansas.
Has Cal lost his fastball? That was the question posed here by Rick Bozich a week ago. The obvious answer: If Calipari still had his fastball, he'd still be at Kentucky.
It's not that he doesn't have talent at Arkansas. It's that talent alone is no longer enough in the new college game, where collections of more experienced players, put together with the benefit of lengthy college resumes and advanced analytics, are more flexible, more coachable, and -- in the right hands -- better able to adapt to what they are encountering on the court.
There is no better example of that than Pope at Kentucky. Pope isn't without talent. In the NBADraft.net mock draft published earlier this month, his team had four projected second-round picks – Amari Williams, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Kobe Brea. If that held up, it would be the first time Kentucky was without a first-rounder since 2009.
Think anyone in Lexington cares about that right now?
Kentucky is ranked eighth in the nation, is 5-0 against ranked opponents and has shown an amazing ability remake itself in response to demands presented by competition in the SEC.
Pope has built a team-first group whose main concern is winning and team accomplishment. And he has them dialed in to a degree that is impressing opposing coaches.
“I have not seen any of their practices or their film sessions, but the teaching that's going on and the itinerary of the practices for them to have the execution that they have remarkable,” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said.
Pope credits the players. Whether it has been in-game defensive adjustments or the ability to make changes on the fly offensively, he says it's a blessing to have players who are dialed in to the degree that if they are told how to shore up a problem, they're able to do it almost instantly. Or, as in the case of rebounding and playing more physically, they are able to learn and improve over time.
“You're really blessed as a coach when you have great students,” Pope said. “And what I mean by that is our guys want to learn, like, when, when we point our guys in a direction, our guys go. It's unbelievable, and that sounds so simple, but it actually doesn't happen in basketball with very many teams.”
For Calipari, there were some schematic adjustments, but those were secondary to effort, intensity, and fight. He, famously, was worried more about his own team than about what the other team was doing. He trusted his talent.
But that's also how defending high ball screens could be a problem for half a season a couple of years back – something Pope and the current Kentucky team can fix in the span of a single timeout.
Calipari made the determination after last year's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland that he did not want to change how he does things, and that he'd simply take his act to Arkansas and show everybody that he can still win his way.
And he may yet win his way. The middle of January is no time to make final assessments.
But from what we've seen so far, in a tougher-than-ever SEC, he has a ways to go.
While in Lexington, Pope and the Wildcats have a more modern attack. It's not built on lottery picks, but on the daily deposits of teamwork and practice.
Calipari is a Hall of Famer and left an indelible legacy in Lexington. But can there be any doubt that his departure brought about change that had to happen in Kentucky's program?
The question now is whether Calipari can yet manage change that needs to happen in his own.
College Basketball Coverage:
- CRAWFORD | Someone has to say it: Louisville basketball — not broken
- BOZICH | How long can Indiana basketball avoid its coaching problem?
- CRAWFORD | Winning Ugly: Kentucky defense shines in 81-69 win over No. 11 Texas A&M
- BOZICH | With Arkansas 0-2 in SEC, has John Calipari lost his fastball?
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