John Calipari Addresses Bizarre Nose-to-Nose Confrontation With Referee

The Kentucky coach commented on his nose-to-nose confrontation with referee Pat Adams during his team’s win over Alabama.

Kentucky coach John Calipari has had some run-ins with referees during his legendary coaching career, but what occurred during the first half of his team’s win over Alabama on Saturday night might have been the weirdest one of them all.

Calipari, after a stoppage that eventually led to Kentucky being awarded two free throws after a technical foul, was shown yelling at referee Pat Adams. He ran over to the coach and got right in his face, and the two essentially went nose-to-nose as they argued.

Calipari looked quite upset during the back-and-forth. His assistants eventually got him out of the situation. 

The Wildcats coach was not assessed a technical foul in the aftermath.

For those wondering, it was Adams that stepped up to Calipari, not the other way around. Still, what a moment. Forehead grease. pic.twitter.com/pDd33YrWtq

— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) February 19, 2022

Calipari was asked about the incident after the game and praised Adams, calling him a ‘good guy.’ He did also say that Adams ‘charged’ him, which led to the altercation.

Coach Calipari talks about going nose-to-nose with the referee during the win over Alabama. #BBN pic.twitter.com/c76VGrWxK2

— Keith Farmer (@KeithFarmer18) February 19, 2022

Kentucky prevailed, 90-81, to move to 11-3 in the SEC with a 22-5 overall record. The Wildcats trail just Auburn in the conference (by one game) and are building a strong case for a high seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Calipari was particularly happy with the crowd’s efforts during the game—especially since Kentucky trailed by 13 late in the first half.

Calipari thanks the fans for the push they gave the team today. No booing or negative stuff when things started bad. Pushed Kentucky to play better defense. "They know what to cheer, how to push the buttons. I love these fans. The greatest fans."

— Jeff Drummond (@JDrumUK) February 19, 2022

The Wildcats will finish up with season with contests against LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Florida before moving to the postseason.