"We wanted them so bad": Ex-Kentucky guard John Wall pinpoints obsession with rivals as main reason for 2010 March Madness upset vs. West Virginia
Former Kentucky guard John Wall recently revealed their intense desire to face off against arch-rivals Duke, in the 2009-10 March Madness Tournament. Wall shared that the Kentucky Wildcats were so fixated on meeting Duke in the Final Four that they didn't prepare well for their actual opponent, West Virginia.
This desire also came from the fact that head coach John Calipari had never coached against Duke. This added to the anticipation and excitement surrounding the potential matchup.
"We wanted to play Duke so bad.. We wanted them so bad that we did't really gameplan the way we should have for that team (West Virginia)," Wall explained.
These comments came out in the aftermath of Kentucky's loss to West Virginia in the East Region Final in 2010. The Wildcats, led by Wall, were unable to defeat the Mountaineers, who took advantage of their lack of preparation and executed their game plan flawlessly.
In this match against West Virginia, Kentucky initially appeared to dominate them. However, even the absence of West Virginia's point guard, Darryl Bryant, couldn't bring the Mountaineers down. They were led by players like Da'Seam Butler and Joe Mazzulla. Their exceptional three-point shooting and defensive strategies took them to victory.
The Wildcats couldn't break West Virginia's solid defense despite the efforts of Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Patrick Patterson. Kentucky struggled with their three-point shooting as they made only 4 of 32 attempts from beyond the arc.
West Virginia's victory secured their first Final Four appearance in 51 years, a testament to their elite defense and offense throughout the tournament.
The 2010 NCAA tournament was the last postseason with a 65-team field before the introduction of the First Four in Dayton. No.1 seed Duke ultimately claimed the national championship. They defeated Butler 1-59 in the title game.
Kentucky Wildcats 2023-24 season
The Kentucky Wildcats currently stand fifth in the Southeastern Conference. They have an overall record of 20-8 and a conference record of 10-5. They boast a solid home record of 12-4 and an away record of 6-3. They also have +6000 odds of winning the 2023-24 SEC and +3000 odds of winning the championship this year.