“I was full of cr*p”: John Calipari criticizes himself for pushing for eight SEC teams for NCAA Tournament
Arkansas coach John Calipari spoke on his past comments about having more SEC teams in the NCAA Tournament. During his time at Kentucky, Calipari was one of the SEC’s most vocal supporters.
He often advocated for the NCAA selection committee to include a large number of SEC teams in the annual NCAA Tournament and wasn’t shy about expressing frustration when the committee didn’t follow suit.
After Kentucky’s 82-57 victory over Central Arkansas on Saturday, Calipari shared his thoughts with the media.
"I used to argue ‘we deserve eight teams’ (in the NCAA Tournament)," he said. "I was full of cr*p. There was no way we deserved eight teams. But I was saying it to try and help the league and help everybody.
"Now we’ve got a couple of games and then we start in an absolute meat grinder. Any win is going to be a big game. … And don’t think, well you’re at home. You may play three Top 5 teams in a row, at home, and get beat," Calipari said.
Early-season results suggest the SEC might not need Calipari’s advocacy this year, as many experts predict the league could send 10 or more teams to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
More SEC teams predicted in 2025 NCAA Tournament including John Calipari's Razorbacks
According to ESPN’s latest Bracketology update, Joe Lunardi projected the SEC to lead all conferences with 12 bids for the NCAA Tournament. This includes seven SEC teams with top-five seeds, featuring Auburn and Tennessee as No. 1 seeds and Alabama and Kentucky as No. 2 seeds.
Lunardi also has John Calipari’s Razorbacks just making the cut, landing in the last four teams as a play-in No. 11 seed.
"Well you look now, 15 of the (SEC) teams, if you play on the road, that’s a Quad 1 win. Fifteen … out of 16!" Calipari said. "And I said in New York, every one of us is looking for a win.
"Like, you look at your schedule and say, ‘Maybe we can get this (one), maybe we can get that.’ I’m just hoping they’re not looking at us saying, ‘Whoa, we can get that one,’ and we’re not the win. But I’m telling you, there are some good teams (in the SEC), and they’re playing well."
John Calipari and Arkansas begin SEC play next month with a tough stretch of three consecutive games against ranked opponents. They’ll face No. 1 Tennessee on the road on Jan. 4, followed by home matchups against No. 19 Ole Miss on Jan. 8 and No. 9 Florida on Jan. 11.