UK’s Calipari Wants Officials To Call “Rough Play”

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Since SEC play began, John Calipari has been goading his team to show more toughness in the face of physical play.  While the Wildcats have opened league play with seven consecutive wins and grabbed the nation’s #1 ranking, Coach Cal still isn’t thrilled with Kentucky’s physicality.

Apparently it’s time to call in some help.

Calipari said yesterday that he wants officials to start calling more fouls lest there be an increase in flagrant, dangerous fouls league-wide:


“My whole point is if you don’t call rough play, that’s what it goes to.  You’ve got to call rough play… We don’t want it to be a rough-house, win-in-the-weightroom game.  That’s now how we play.”


Timing is everything.  Kentucky hosts Tennessee tonight, a team that Calapari said out-physicaled his team in a close loss in Knoxville two weeks ago.  The coach said he expects a “hand-to-hand kind of deal” from the Volunteers this time around.  No wonder than that he’s already trying to get the officials to be on the lookout for that type of rough-and-tumble play.

Vol fans will claim Calipari’s being whiny.  Cat fans will claim he’s being wise.  But in reality, officiating probably won’t make that big of a difference tonight.  On paper, Kentucky is third in SEC play in scoring defense while Tennessee is just 10th in SEC play in scoring offense.

If form holds, Tennessee will have to get Jason Bourne-style physical in order to make up for its lack of scorers.