John Calipari and Kentucky basketball nearly saw history repeat itself for the second time in the span of a week at Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday.
Less than a week after the Wildcats suffered a road loss to LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (a game in which Tigers fans subsequently stormed the court), they went to Starkville, Mississippi and faced similarly dire circumstances against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, to their credit, issued a warning to fans to stay off the basketball court following the conclusion of the game.
The warning, however, was ultimately rendered moot by freshman guard Reed Sheppard, whose game-winning buzzer-beater lifted Kentucky to a 91-89 road victory:
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Kentucky needed every bit of Sheppard’s brilliance throughout the game, as he finished with a team-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3 and a perfect 6 of 6 from the free throw line. He also added five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks in a raucous road environment.
None of his plays were bigger than the game-winner, which occured just minutes after Mississippi State issued a warning on its videoboard for fans not to storm the court. It came at the 4:51 mark in the second half, with the Bulldogs nursing a 71-67 lead.
The Wildcats ultimately outscored the Bulldogs 23-18 following Mississippi State’s warning, including Sheppard’s game-winner.
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Calipari, asked after the game about the warning, said he hadn’t seen it. But he did liken it to when he was coach at UMass in the 1991 NIT, when the Minutemen came from behind to win 82-80 in overtime.
“Oh, I wish I had seen it,” Calipari said. “In 1992, we’re playing in the NIT, I’m at UMass, and we’re playing Siena, and we’re down three. And there’s 3.6 seconds to go. The get on the mic, and say, ‘The buses are going to leave for the Garden on this day at this time.’ My team (goes), ‘What?’
“We make a 3, and beat them in overtime. And one of my guys (goes), ‘What time are those buses leaving?’ You know, so I’ve been in those situations. I did not see it though.”
Sheppard was more pointed in his reaction to the message — and the fact he took away the opportunity:
“It was really cool. Because last time there was a big crowd and they had a sellout game, it went the other way and they did they rush the floor. And that was a feeling that no one on the team wants to feel again,” Sheppard said. “Standing on the court, watching the crowd rush the floor.
“So you know, being able to take away their fans from doing that and watch them leave when the buzzer goes off all mad and disappointed, and the Kentucky fans staying and cheering us on is really cool.”
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky’s John Calipari, Reed Sheppard react to MSU court storm warning
