John Calipari Addresses Kentucky Fans After Massive Upset Loss to Saint Peter’s

The Wildcats suffered what many called the worst loss in program history to the Peacocks on Thursday.

Few casual fans knew much about Saint Peter’s entering Thursday’s NCAA tournament action. But the Peacocks will long be on the mind of the Kentucky basketball faithful after taking down John Calipari’s No. 2-seeded squad, 

Many Kentucky fans took to social media on Thursday night to call the loss the worst in program history. After the game, Calipari addressed what he called a disappointing finish to the season.

“I’m disappointed for our fans because I know they are here en masse and they were shell-shocked like we all were, but I would tell them, we have got the greatest fans; that they travel, and we hate letting them down,” Calipari said, per Kentucky Sports Radio. “I do as a coach and I know these players do.

“But you know, we just—don’t take away from what these kids did. This was really disappointing, devastating. But this team brought a lot of joy to a lot of us. Just hate that it ends this way.”

The loss may signal the end of the impressive, if short, Kentucky career of Oscar Tshiebwe, who transferred in from West Virginia. He was among the only Wildcats to play well on Thursday, going for 30 points and 16 rebounds, after averaging 17.4 points and 15.1 boards during the season. 

With how Kentucky turns over a roster, next year’s team will likely look much different than the 2021–22 edition. And based on what fans had to say on Thursday night, the pressure to win a second national title may really be mounting for Coach Cal.