Before Kentucky won a six-game losing streak with a 78-73 victory in the double overtime at Mississippi State on Saturday, Wildcats coach John Calipari said he told his staff he hoped Dontaie Allen – a product in state that recorded just 19 minutes and scored seven points combined before the victory – would help the team get a victory in its first SEC game.
Allen answered that call, finishing with a maximum score of 23 points in the team and coming out with 7 points from 11 to 3 points in a wild game that also included Calipari’s eject with just over nine minutes to play in regulations.
“When you do that, you prove your point and that’s what you should do when you have the opportunity,” Calipari said of Allen’s departure. “I’m so happy for him. I told the staff before the game that I hope he grows up because we needed to win.”
Kentucky had been embroiled in the worst stretch of basketball 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 had suffered six consecutive losses under Calipari.
Allen, a former Kentucky basketball player and redhead who missed last season due to injury, said he never doubted his potential and continued to work, hoping Calipari would give him the opportunity to showcase his talent.
“To be honest, I don’t think there was any pressure because I put it to work,” Allen said. “I didn’t know when my opportunity would come. Nobody knows, so I just kept my head down and worked hard. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had tonight.”
The game is similar to the previous six games Kentucky had lost. The state of Mississippi had the advantage throughout the game until Kentucky finished strong in regulation after the expulsion of Calipari.
In both overtimes, Allen made big hits, including a crucial 3-pointer in the second overtime, to help the Wildcats (2-6, 1-0 SEC) enjoy a victory for the first time 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 took after an argument with one of the officials with his team down six points in the middle. second half. . But he also said he hopes it will give players a boost.
“I know you’re going to say, ‘Did you do this on purpose?’ ” The first? 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, “Yes, OK.” “
He added: “When I left, I said it would be a good thing or a bad thing.”
Olivier Sarr, who finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds, said he expected to be ejected based on the emotions Calipari displayed throughout the game.
“For me, and I think the whole team, I think it was something I knew could happen, knowing the coach’s past with such games,” Sarr said. “But for us, it was more just ‘Okay, the coach isn’t here – we have to run.’
Calipari said he hid in the locker room to watch his team celebrate the game and “remember why they do what they do.”
He also said he is still focused on helping his team reach the NCAA tournament. Before last season, when Kentucky had three or more conference losses at the conference, it was 2013-14, when the Wildcats ran in the Final Four after a rocky start. The Wildcats did not have a chance to compete for the NCAA tournament last season, after three non-conference losses, as the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m just watching football teams that were like 3-8 playing in home games,” he said. “We don’t know where any of this is going.”