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John Calipari quote from earlier in the season goes viral after Kentucky's early exit from the NCAA Tournament
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

John Calipari quote from earlier in the season goes viral after Kentucky's early exit from the NCAA Tournament

Originally posted on A to Z Sports  |  By Zach Ragan  |  Last updated 3/22/24

The Kentucky Wildcats' 2024 NCAA Tournament run came to an abrupt end on Thursday via a first-round loss to Oakland.

After the Wildcats' 80-76 loss, a quote from earlier in the season from Kentucky head coach John Calipari went viral. 

Back in February, Calipari announced during his radio show that Kentucky is "built for March". 

“I’ve got all my coaching buddies call, and they say, ‘I love your team.’ And I love this team too. We’re built for March,” said Calipari. “Now, real simply, we have to get more physical. We have to get 50-50 balls, and that includes rebounds that are free that we haven’t gotten. We’ve got to get, let’s say 10 percent better defensively.”

Kentucky started March with three straight wins, including an 85-81 road win against the Tennessee Vols to end the regular season. 

Then the bottom fell out. 

The Wildcats lost 97-87 to Texas A&M in their only SEC Tournament game. 

And then, of course, Kentucky lost to Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Built for March, eh? 

Yeah, not quite. 

Calipari is feeling the heat in Lexington as he hasn't advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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