John Calipari gave Saint Peter’s credit, but he was devastated and shellshocked after his No. 2 seed Kentucky team was stunned in Indianapolis on Thursday.
He said so himself.
“I’m disappointed for our fans because I know they are here en masse and they were shellshocked like we all were, but I would tell them, we have got the greatest fans; that they travel, and we hate letting them down,” Calipari told reporters.
“I do as a coach and I know these players do. But you know, we just — don’t take away from what these kids did. This was really disappointing, devastating. But this team brought a lot of joy to a lot of us. Just hate that it ends this way.”
Kentucky was favored by 18 points before the game. Going into this NCAA Tournament, No. 2 seeds were 135-9 all-time against No. 15 seeds.
Calipari said that, despite his pregame bravado, he knew the Wildcats were going to be in for a real fight.
“Give Saint Peter’s credit,” he said. “And I watched the tapes. Let me tell you, I was worried going into the game. I wasn’t showing anybody. I was whistling and skipping and dancing and ‘We can’t wait.’”
Saint Peter’s, which had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011, will face Murray State in the Round of 32 on Saturday.