LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 28: John Calipari the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats gives instructions to his team against the Monmouth Hawks at Rupp Arena on November 28, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)The nightmarish season for John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats continued on Saturday night.
Calipari was ejected from Kentucky’s matchup with Mississippi State after arguing what he felt was a carried ball prior to a Bulldogs’ basket. He received one technical foul for his initial outburst, then another after some continued berating of the head official.
Down six with nine minutes remaining in the second half, Coach Cal was given the boot.
Here’s a video of the debacle:
John Calipari just got ejected. He's mentioned before how he thinks him getting tossed last year vs. Arkansas empowered Kentucky. We'll see if this has any effect. pic.twitter.com/XXUnryuWIv
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) January 3, 2021
John Calipari is no stranger to ejections.
As mentioned in the tweet above, the 12th-year Kentucky coach has talked about how his ejections can sometimes help inspire his young squads. After Calipari was ejected from a game against Arkansas in last season, the Wildcats stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 70-66.
Calipari’s most famous ejection came in 2016 when he was kicked out in the first three minutes of a game against South Carolina. Kentucky went on to win that game by a landslide, taking down the Gamecocks 89-62.
The magic of a John Calipari ejection seems to be working yet again tonight.
After trailing by five at halftime, the Wildcats fought their way back to tie the game up in regulation. Without Coach Cal, Kentucky’s freshmen-laden squad closed out Mississippi State in double-overtime, 78-73.
This was a huge win for a program that’s off to its worst start in decades. With the win, they move up to just 2-6 on the season.
Dionate Allen, who has barely played for Calipari’s program this year, was the unlikely hero. He scored 23 points off the bench, hitting 7-for-11 threes for a team that has struggled to shoot this season.
