Matt Jones on Kentucky’s 1st round loss to Oakland

Matt Jones talks Kentucky’s opening round loss to the Oakland Grizzlies on Thursday in Pittsburgh.

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Everyone it is the local toy dealers ksr postgame show uh I’m Matt Jones here actually in the lobby where I was for the pregame show at the Marriott in Pittsburgh where unfortunately this is the Oakland team Hotel there’s nowhere else I could find to go so I’m here so

If you hear uh noise in the background that’s unfortunately going to be them celebrating as they certainly should do after beating Kentucky 80-76 uh I just got here after I wanted to hear the the John caliper press conference and and the comments to reporters and and I just got back here

From there and you know I I thought on my walk a lot about well what are you going to say because there is no doubt this is not only an inflection point it probably is the inflection point for Kentucky basketball in the caliper era uh for the second time in three years

Kentucky has lost to a high digit SE since n since the tournament went to 64 teams Kentucky has only lost in the first round four times and they’ve two of in the last three years in three two seasons ago in my opinion it was the worst NCA tournament loss in UK history

And this is probably the second worst and it’s happened in three years uh three years ago probably the worst UK season in history so a pretty terrible run over the last four years and as I was walking here I was trying to figure out you know what am I going to say

Because there are certain times that you know you you hit a moment with the with a a fan base or with a coach where like you just have to you just have to say it how it is and this is where I think we are right

Now it is all season long we said this last summer I I thought this was going to be the most important season uh in the Cal Perry era and you got to go back to co to see why that is since then it’s been a different cow I mean we

Just have to accept it there’s no there’s no sugar coating it’s been different and the list of things that have happened all of you know but at the end of the day none of it really matters if you win if you win all the other stuff is secondary your relationship

Ship with the athletic director your relationship with the media your relationship with boosters your relationship even with the fans all of it really doesn’t matter if you win if you win everything will be forgiven because you’re winning and the reality is the simplest way to put where

Kentucky basketball is right now is we aren’t winning and we aren’t winning enough caliper said in his interview on CBS he said it in his interview on the radio and he said it in the interview to the press conference he said I hate that this team will be defined by this game I

Hate that because they’re they’re better than that well on some level I agree with him because I really like this team but at the end of the day the point of UK basketball and the point of playing games is to win that’s the point the point is to get victories the point is

To build a program and the point is to win it is now there are secondary things that are also awesome building relationships with fans Cal Perry talks about helping players reach their dreams and all of that I’m not only for I think when you do that it leads to more

Winning but at the end of the day winning has to be the primary thing winning has to be the centerpiece of why you do it you play to quote Herm Edwards to win the game and you play to build memories and a program for the fan base

That they love and there is no place in college basketball maybe no place in college athletics that cares more about a particular thing and about winning than Kentucky basketball and Cal has said for years this place is it for everyone and he’s right it’s not not everybody can do this

Job this is a different thing here we care the most thus you’re paid the most thus there’s the most most pressure on you period and the reality is that at this moment calip Perry in the last four years has failed at the number one goal which is winning I talked about this

This morning you know for years especially in the last few years caliper excused a lot of regular season Mistakes by saying everything’s about March March is what matters March is what matters and and I always kind of hated that for him because in the tournament random

Stuff can happen today a kid who was playing division three two seasons ago Hits 10 three-pointers against you stuff happens but he himself has set the standard this is not Matt Jones this is not the fan base this is John caliper he has set the standard March is what

Matters I have my teams ready for March and one of the things and as you hear this the players Oakland are starting to come back in and you’ll hear them in the background because it is what it is but he has said for a while it’s about March March well the

Reality is We are failing in March and he said this last year and he said this this year I don’t like that the season is defined by March well you’re the one that set it up like that it has to be defined by something we haven’t we’ve

Won one regular season title since 2017 we’ve won one SEC tournament title since 2017 we’ve only won one SEC tournament game since 2019 we’ve only won one NCA Tournament game since 2019 so we have to Define it with something and right now we’re defining it with

Losing and I hate to to say this I do because I have a lot of affinity contrary to what people believe for John calip Perry the caliper era has corresponded with my career he has brought Kentucky great wins great success and for eight years made it

About the most fun thing you could have as a Kentucky fan during that period of time but it’s not like that now it’s not like that now now we have a fan base that tens maybe hundreds of thousands are listening right now and I think

97% 95% feel the same way it just can’t go on like this the situation is untenable it’s a relationship which has been great for a lot of it but has reached the point that I think there probably need needs to be a separation I don’t know how the UK fan

Base can get into another year of being excited but also dreading what’s to come Cal Perry’s now in a situation that anything he says makes most fans frustrated anything he does makes many fans frustrated and this year he had a team that this fan base loves they love Reed she

They love Rob Dillingham they love Antonio Reeves they love these guys this was the most excited this fan base has been on about a team probably since 2017 if not before this team was beloved and yet we lost 10 games and we lost to Oakland two years

After losing to St Peters I don’t think it can continue like this how do we go into an off season with what’s happening how how do fans continue to have interest and how do fans get that love and excitement they have if it’s going to be the same old thing that cheering

You he in the background that’s supposed to be us that’s supposed to be Kentucky basketball it’s supposed to be a celebration and it hasn’t been long enough and I think if we’re honest and you go back through this four 4 year history outside of when we were on

Probation this has been the least successful 4year history in what matters which is the postseason in Kentucky basketball history and if that’s the case how do you keep going how do you keep doing it I hate it Cal’s a great man Cal’s a great coach and I believe that and Cal’s

Produced a ton of amazing memories for this fan base but good things end and I don’t know how it happens there’s $33 million owed but I don’t see how this can go on I don’t see how you can have a coach that has no relationship with his athletic director no relationship with

Most of his donors no relationship with his media no relationship with most folks I don’t know how you can do that and then come back and run it back again cen’s press conference did not sound like a guy that wants to go he talked about how good the Freshman were coming

In next year he talked about how some guys may come back and maybe that’s will be what it is and if he comes back I’ll root for him I’ll want Kentucky to win every game and I’ll be the biggest advocate for Kentucky basketball I can but if if I’m being

Honest and I think if a lot of people who are listening are being honest they know it’s probably time for a change it’s probably time for two groups that have gone really well together the Kentucky fan base and John Cal Perry to just agree to go in different directions

How that happens I don’t know but I think if you’re asking Matt Jones that’s probably what needs to take place nights like tonight in the season of 2021 and the St Peters Loss this is not Kentucky basketball and unfortunately we’ve gotten away from it and something has to change or I don’t

Know how we get back on track we’ll open up the phols 85928 2287 I’m going to listen you guys get through and and say what do that anymore maybe with nil guys are going to stay longer they’re going to be in school long longer maybe you can’t rely on freshman

Anymore and if that’s the case I’m not sure if John Cal Perry’s the coach if you can’t rely on freshman because our freshman weren’t able to play tonight and we let a bunch of guys who I give them a lot of credit played well but we literally let a division

Three player beat us no offense to him but that’s just not Kentucky basketball 85928 2287 we’ll take a break we’ll take your calls this will be not a fun show but probably a necessary one here on the local Toyota dealers ksr postgame show welcome back it is the local trade

Dealers ksr postgame show I’m not sure I could have uh uh picked a much worse uh environment for this cuz literally there are Oakland