Nick Richards, Jarred Vanderbilt, PJ Washington, and Johnny David celebrate during the Wildcats strong second half in Morgantown on Saturday, January 27, 2018. Photo by Keyli Chisesi (Go Big Blue Country)
Saturday nights second half was the perfect blueprint for John Calipari to show his team how good they could be but the UK head coach noticed something different in the final seven minutes of the game.
Instead of focusing on the plays being made on the floor, it was the bench that caught Calipari’s attention while watching the film with his team.
“The tape I showed them yesterday was the bench”, said Calipari. “From the seven-minute mark to the rest of the game, all we kept showing was the bench. On baskets made, on defensive stops, on running off the floor.”
For the first time, it truly looked like the Wildcats were having fun. Guys were sacrificing and as a result, everyone benefited.
“Look at you guys. You get it, you’re happy.”
During Monday’s press conference, Calipari mentioned how happy the guys were for Kevin Knox and Nick Richards, especially Richards after his strong play towards the end of the game.
“Kevin Knox, when he walked in the locker room after the game the whole team mobbed him. Are you ready for this? They mobbed Nick. They were all happy for him.”
Look at the reactions from the bench in the plays below, all during the final seven minutes of the game. Is this team is starting to get it?
