Before Kentucky got a six-game losing streak with a 78-73 win over double overtime in the state of Mississippi on Saturday, Wildcats coach John Calipari said he told his workers he hoped Dontaie Allen, a product in the state who had recorded just 19 minutes and added seven points combined before the win – would help the team get a win in its first SEC clash.
Allen responded to this call-up, finishing with a maximum of 23 points on the team and going from 7 to 11 from the 3-point range in a wild game that also included Calipari’s expulsion with just over nine minutes to go. play regulation.
“When you do, you prove your point and that’s what you’re supposed to do when you get the chance,” Calipari said of Allen’s departure. “I’m very happy for him. I told the staff before the game that I hope he goes big because we needed to win.”
Kentucky had been wrapped up in the worst basketball stretch of the show in nearly 100 years. He had not lost six games in a row since 1927, three years before the program hired Adolph Rupp. It was also the first time the team lost six straight losses to Calipari.
Allen, former Mr. Basketball in Kentucky and a freshman who missed last season due to injury, said he never doubted his potential and continued to work, hoping Calipari would give him a chance to show his talent.
“If I’m being honest, I don’t think it was pressure, because I put the play on,” Allen said. “I didn’t know when my chance would come. No one knows, so I just kept my head down and worked hard. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had tonight.”
The game resembled the previous six games Kentucky had lost. Mississippi State had the lead throughout the game until Kentucky finished strong in regulation after Calipari was sent off.
In both overtime, Allen made great shots, including a crucial 3-point in the second overtime, to help the Wildcats (2-6, 1-0 SEC) enjoy a first-time victory in more than one month.
Calipari said he did not plan the expulsion, which left Assistant Bruiser Flint to lead the team and was the result of a second technical foul he picked up after a discussion with one of the officers with the his team down six points in the middle of the second half. . But he also said he hoped it would give a boost to his players.
“I know you’ll say, ‘Did you do it on purpose?’ The first one? Yes, I did it because two or three things happened that we wouldn’t have a chance to win if we didn’t. [fix]”, He said.” My second, was like “Yeah, okay.” “
He added, “When I left, I said this would be a good thing or a bad thing.”
Olivier Sarr, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, said he expected the expulsion based on the emotions Calipari showed throughout the match.
“For me, and I think the whole team, I think it was something we knew could happen, knowing the past that the coach had with games like that,” Sarr said. “But for us, it was more like saying, ‘All right, the coach isn’t here, we have to run.'”
Calipari said he hid in the locker room to watch his team celebrate after the game and “remember why I do what I do.”
He also said he still focuses on helping his team reach the NCAA tournament. Before last season, the previous time Kentucky had three or more losses due to lack of conference play was in 2013-14, when the Wildcats ran into the Final Four after a rocky start. The Wildcats did not have a chance to compete for the NCAA tournament last season after three losses due to lack of conference because the tournament was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m watching football teams that were like 3-8 playing bowling games,” he said. “We don’t know where any of this stuff is going.”