John Calipari Says It Has ‘Become Harder to Play at’ Kentucky

The Wildcats’ coach weighed in on the state of the program.

Kentucky has a been a sturdy blueblood program for decades.

However, in the last two seasons, the Wildcats have struggled, creating some tension and fan negativity within the program. Kentucky recorded a dismal 9–16 mark during the 2020-21 season and failed to qualify for the NCAA men's tournament. Then, in the ’22 NCAA tournament, Kentucky was eliminated by Saint Peter’s as a No. 2 seed in the first round back in March.

After Kentucky's 88–68 win against FAMU on Wednesday, Wildcats basketball coach John Calipari addressed the fan negativity on his regular “Wildcat Wrap-Up,” encouraging fans to be patient with the team and the program overall.

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“They’re trying,” Calipari said. “It is hard to play here now and it’s become harder to play here. You don’t want it to be so hard that they don’t want to come here.”

Calipari has always been known to take the brunt of criticism for his players. While standards are high for the iconic program in the Bluegrass State, Calipari wants fans to keep their belief in the team while not being too critical of the program.

This season, the Wildcats sit 8–3 with losses to Michigan State, Gonzaga and UCLA. Despite struggling within the last couple of seasons, Kentucky sits at No. 3 all-time in Final Fours appearances, tied for first with UCLA for the number of times it has played in NCAA championship games and has lifted eight national championship banners, second only to UCLA.