Is Kentucky’s loss to Evansville the worst of John Calipari era? A sign of things to come?

Kentucky may have suffered the worst loss of the Calipari era vs. Evansville. Here’s what that loss means in the small and the big picture.

Walter McCarty is no stranger to Kentucky. He made the walk from the locker room to the Cawood’s Court many times during his four years here, always met by the sounds of veneration from a warm Rupp Arena crowd. However, Tuesday, he was not a player or a national champion player at Kentucky, nor was he sporting Kentucky blue. He was something much worse — the opposing team’ coach.

After forty minutes of embarrassing the NCAA’s consensus No. 1 team, McCarty secured a win so special he was forced to hold back tears before being showered in his four-thousand dollar suit under a deluge of water and Gatorade.

How special was this win? Just ask McCarty.

“This is at the top,” McCarty said to the SEC Network. “To be able to come back home and play against the No. 1 team in the country and to be able to perform the way we did. I don’t know if anything else matches this other than winning a national championship. It’s awesome to be able to come here and play on this type of stage. I got a good group of guys, I really do. They love each other and they’re very connected and to bring this group in and be able to do that is just awesome.”

He showed that Evansville is no run-of-the-mill, rinky-dink, cupcake program, rather a giant-slayer who had the gusto to knock off the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats.

More than anything, McCarty revealed the ugly truth behind the rock start of Coach Calipari’s ‘second-ten’.

The worst loss of the Calipari era?

Let’s just admit it. Tuesday’s game was not just ugly, it was simply jarring.

It is so hard for fans to think of a more shocking loss during the Calipari era at Kentucky because there is none. While calling this the worst loss in Cal’s tenure would be subjective, there is a whole lot of objectivity in deeming this the most embarrassing.

For a team that went 11-21 the previous year, the Purple Aces, not only defeated Kentucky but practically ran them wire-to-wire. The Aces led a whopping 34:16 of the game. Tuesday, the Cats were 39-0 at home against unranked, non-conference opponents. Wednesday morning, they were 39-1, losing to a sub-150 Evansville Purple Aces, who a week early was taken to overtime by a Division II school.

Let that sink in.

The most storied program in college basketball had never suffered a defeat of this caliber in its history.

What makes this a hard pill to swallow for Kentucky fans is not the loss itself, but the timing. Exactly one week prior, the Cats were on top of the college basketball world, defeating the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans, seemingly never losing control of the game.

Has any team beat the No. 1 team, become the No. 1 team, and lose the No.1 ranking all in one week?

While it stings, the loss against Evansville, is just that, one loss. It is simply a blip on Kentucky’s resume, a No. 1 overall seed come March is not a far-fetched idea.

“A No. 1 seed for Big Blue remains very attainable, even the No. 1 overall seed. No one in the Commonwealth should tear up their Final Four tickets,” ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said. “Meanwhile, we can all assume there will be many more projected top seeds to lose between now and March.”

Lunardi’s last point is arguably his best. Following Kentucky’s defeat of Michigan State in the Champions Classic, there was a strange rush to crown Kentucky the NCAA’s crown jewel.

Did Kentucky deserve the No. 1 ranking? Absolutely. Does that mean they were the best team? Absolutely not.

It seems the Wildcats are a microcosm for the state of college basketball. There is a lack of sheer firepower and talent for the blue-bloods this year, particularly evident following a year with Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. If Tuesday’s game means anything, it seems great teams will lose and lose often in the 2019-2020 season.

It will be interesting to see if Evansville’s victory acts as a warning shot to the NCAA, jolting teams into awareness or if teams will begin to fall like dominos, following Kentucky’s lead.

As for now, we should relish in the irony that one of our program’s most devastating losses came at the hands of one of our all-time greats.

What should Cats fans be worried about?

Following Tuesday’s loss, Cats fans have a lot to be worried about, however, there is one thing in specific that should worry Cats fans the most — injuries.

Kentucky and Calipari did a good job covering up a roster that is banged up, stitched together by threads. Injuries finally caught up to the Cats and it was evident in their 67-64 loss.

So how do you begin to dissect the issues of injuries and depth for Kentucky?

Let’s begin with Coach Cal.

It is no secret that Kentucky’s frontcourt was a weak spot heading into the season. This summer, Calipari missed out on both N’Faly Dante and Kerry Blackshear Jr., having to settle for Bucknell graduate-transfer Nate Sestina, leaving the Cats with three scholarship big men.

However, the gaping holes in the frontcourt seemed to fill right in front of Cats fans’ eyes.

The heroics of Nick Richards against No. 1 Michigan State seemed to be the ideal platform for a much-needed confidence boost. Richards, one of the biggest question marks in Kentucky’s frontcourt, performed on the biggest stage all with a banged-up ankle and one day’s worth of practice the week prior. He shut down the preseason Player of the Year, Cassius Winston on every ball screen, harassing the Spartans offense. A pretty convincing case for Cats fans, huh?

What about Nate Sestina?

Well, he was pretty convincing too. The Emporium, PA native, captured the hearts of Kentucky fans not only for his good-looks and mature presence but for his smooth shot and ability to stretch the floor, which was evident in his preseason matches against Georgetown (Ky.) and Kentucky State.

In Tuesday’s game, all of this hope came crashing down. Back to reality: Kentucky is thin down-low.  And if Richards under-performs, as he frequently did last year, the Cats aren’t making it to April.

There is no PJ Washington, consensus First-Team All-American, for Nick Richards to fall back on. Instead, Kentucky is falling back on a Patriot League transfer and an EJ Montgomery who does not play like a former top-10 McDonald’s All-American, nor as if he has ever picked up a basketball. Not to mention, Montgomery has been sidelined for the first three games of the season with an ankle injury himself.

To make matters worse, Kentucky’s starting point guard, energy man, and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Ashton Hagans, finally showed symptoms of an injury that he has nursed all season.

Juxtapose Ashton Hagan’s stifling defense, mugging Winston on every possession to his efforts against Evansville, where he showed no interest in fetching loose balls in his area. When he ain’t clicking neither is Kentucky, it’s just that simple.

While Cal missed out on recruits, there were chances to fill scholarships and he chose not to. Currently, there are nine scholarship players, counting an injured Dontaie Allen, nursing his ACL injury. Heck, Cal had to poach UK Baseball pitcher Ben Jordan to play five-on-five at practice.

A lot different from the 2014-2015 ‘platoon’ drama, huh?

Go further and take out the handful of injured players that competed through their ailments, but didn’t practice and you’re left with six scholarship athletes. This includes players that have yet to see extended minutes on the floor like Johnny Juzang.

Are you starting to see the problem Cats fans?

Tuesday’s loss against Evansville becomes less of an evil blight on Calipari’s record and more of a look-at-yourself-in-the-mirror situation for Kentucky. Even Calipari, Kentucky basketball’s beautician couldn’t hide the blemishes of the current state of the program.

In time, the early wound will scar and the blemishes heal. Calipari has a plan, he always does. Just ask his NCAA-leading 305 wins, 31 NCAA tournament wins, 4 Final Fours, 7 Elite Eights, and 8 Sweet 16’s in the last 10 years.

Although injuries are plaguing Kentucky, Cats fans need to exercise the one virtue they do not possess … patience.

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