John Calipari has been with the Kentucky Wildcats since 2009. One college basketball writer predicted recently that he would not be there much longer.
Calipari has seen a downturn in NCAA Tournament success in recent seasons. Once a formidable foe, his Wildcats have been tamed for the most part. They haven’t made the Final Four since 2015. They’ve only made the second weekend three times since 2017. That included a missed tournament appearance in 2021 and a first-round exit to Tournament darling Saint Peter’s last March. And according to USA TODAY writer Dan Wolken, the lack of tournament success may lead to his departure.
Wolken made a big prediction on The Gary Parrish Show on Friday. Wolken said, via On3 Sports, “If the narrative sets in that he’s maybe a little outdated with some of the things he’s doing, he’s washed up, he doesn’t have the same juice he had in the program, it’s going to go downhill quick.” He continued, “I think if he doesn’t — I’ll put this prediction out here right now — if they don’t get to the Elite 8 this year, I think he’s got one more year left after this and then I think it’s over.”
A startling prediction for sure. Cal has been all over the map obviously, but it’d be different without him at Kentucky.
