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Q&A: Calipari says "enough is enough" for UK

Kyle Tucker
@KyleTucker_CJ
UK head coach John Calipari applauds his team against Ole Miss during their game at Rupp Arena.
Jan. 6, 2014

John Calipari said after No. 1 Kentucky's double-overtime escape at Texas A&M – after a home overtime escape against Ole Miss – that the Wildcats needed to get away from each other for a day and reflect and regroup. They're back together today, as Calipari just said on the SEC teleconference that he held individual meetings this morning and will hold a team meeting later today before practice with the answer to one question in mind: Have we lost our edge?

He said he's glad the Wildcats (15-0, 2-0) have been pushed lately, because important lessons are learned in crisis, but "enough is enough." That and everything else Calipari had to say today on the SEC call – as the Cats prepare to host Missouri on Tuesday and travel to Alabama on Saturday – right here:

JOHN CALIPARI

Opening statement: "I think both teams are playing well. Missouri had a great win at home and they really played well on the road. And obviously Alabama is doing what they always do: they're playing great defense and holding people to low numbers and playing a physical game. They'll be two hard games for us."

On what Devin Booker has provided: "Well, you know what was great for him last game: it's the first time he has been in late, and he really performed. He attacked, he didn't settle for jumpers, made his free throws. He broke down defensively, but we all did in that game, the last one. We wouldn't have been in the game if he didn't make shots in the first half."

On how valuable these last two games have been for team by getting pushed some: "Well, I've said all along that you don't want to go through a season when you're never in a close game. You don't learn about your team. You need to be down 10 or 12 and see how they respond. You need to be in overtime games where they've got to really lock down and be efficient offensively and make free throws or create good shots. Some eyes were opened: Trey Lyles making free throws, Dakari (Johnson) making free throws and coming up with huge rebounds. You know, the way Devin played down the stretch really showed some things.

"But enough is enough. We've had enough of these games now. Let's get some games that are a little bit easier for us, but I don't think we'll have any. I think every game we play is someone's Super Bowl. They're going to play out of their minds. The kid from Mississippi had cramps and says that you can't have cramps, not at the biggest moment of your life. Like, what? The biggest moment of your life? But that's how guys feel playing against us, and that's what I'm trying to tell our team. You don't play with desperation and they do, you're losing."

On if he thought UK was affected by outside talk of trying to go undefeated: "No, but one of the things we're addressing today – and I just got done with individual meetings, and we're gonna have a great team meeting here in a little bit after I'm done and show a little tape and come back this afternoon and practice – have we lost our edge? Have we lost our swagger? Have we lost a little bit of our focus? And then if we had, what was it? What was our swag about? What was our focus about? What was our edge? What gave us an edge? And then the question becomes, how do we get it back? If we lost it, what were reasons we could have lost it? And it's not like we're totally – we're still winning tough games and we're fighting like crazy.

"It's just that we're not exactly where we were. And it's all good, because I don't want us to be like it's March right now. It's too early to be like it's March. It isn't. One of the things we talked about: Are individuals feeling something they shouldn't be feeling? So we got a lot of things working, and it's crazy. Every team right now has issues in the country. Every team. Every team in the country is working through something. All I'll tell you is I'm happy I'm coaching this team. I believe I have the best team in the country with the best players. So we've got some things to figure out. We'll do it together."

On if he's thought about moving Ulis to the first platoon: "No. No. We're still – I'm good. The thing that I would tell all of our guys, and what we talked about today: I believe in all of them. Now, if there's any reason they're not thinking right – because they're all talented; the things we're asking them to do, they can do. But no, again, we got a good group of kids, man. I'm telling you: Great kids. They've all stepped up at different times. They've all played bad at ties, yet the team covered for them. And it was like the game against Mississippi: I couldn't have Tyler in at the end if we wanted to win the game. He couldn't be in. So I think everybody is watching spots of this, spots of that. I'm watching the full body of work. I'm fine with where our team is."

On what he's seen from Missouri: "Well, they lost a lot (from last year), and you would think they wouldn't be this confident. But their big man is playing well, their wings are competing, their guards are playing great in pick-and-rolls and doing things they have to do. They're excited about league play. You can see the fight that they have, that they're not surrendering. They don't have it in their bones. They're just going to play. It's going to be a tough opponent for us."

* For instant updates on the Wildcats, follow me on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ. Email me at ktucker@courier-journal.com.