Kentucky Wildcats: Jay Bilas Believes Letting John Calipari Go Is a Huge Mistake

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas argues that while it’s disappointing that the Cats failed to step up to the plate against the Golden Grizzlies, he doesn’t pin the blame squarely on Calipari’s shoulders.

He argued that Calipari should be given another chance, per Brad Crawford of CatsPause.com:

“The bottom line is this, this wasn’t about being freshmen, or the construction of the Kentucky roster, it’s about a team that did not play well and that did not execute in a first-round game against a very good team,” Bilas said in a video. “Kentucky didn’t execute offensively against Oakland’s zone defense. There are some intricacies to it, but it’s not the first time they’ve seen a zone. If Kentucky fans want to get rid of Calipari, good luck, I think that would be a mistake.”

Calipari has been with the team since 2009, replacing Billy Gillispie. He quickly built a dominant roster that won the national championship in only his third year with the program. Since then, he’s built a dynastic program that regularly churns out NBA-ready players.

While he has a considerable pedigree going for him, it’s also undeniable that his teams have been terrible since the 2021-22 season. If the Kentucky Wildcats choose to stick with him, something has to change with how they play the game.

If John Calipari doesn’t manage to achieve that by this time in 2025, he can kiss his job goodbye.