John Calipari credits Kentucky fans for creating environment on road

An important stretch is upcoming for John Calipari, with Kentucky having to make a real push if they want to compete for an SEC regular season title. Tuesday was a great start, getting a win on the road against Vanderbilt. A game you would expect the Wildcats to take no matter the situation but the 32-point margin of victory was impressive.

Even more impressive, at least in Calipari’s eyes? The support Kentucky was able to attract while on the road. Memorial Gymnasium was full of blue shirts, supporting the away team. Calipari noted how not a lot of them are just casual fans looking to catch a game either. They get into the action.

“Our fans, they are unbelievable,” Calipari said during his postgame presser. “I mean, we walk in — It’s part of the reason, I imagine, we’ve had some success up here. We walk in and half the building is blue. And they’re really into basketball and really into Kentucky. It’s amazing.”

While Vanderbilt might be an easier place for Kentucky fans to watch their team on the road, Calipari acknowledges that it occurs all the time. When looking inside of SEC arena, Big Blue Nation will be there supporting the Wildcats.

And if Kentucky is winning toward the end of the game, the chants begin to rain down. Calipari does not fully understand how they are getting into arenas but you can be sure he is not complaining.

“We’ll go to a road game and all of a sudden it’s, how did these people get in? And they figure out,” Calipari said. “If we’re winning at the end, you’ll hear ‘Go Big Blue. Go Big Blue. Go Big Blue.’ And you’re like ‘How did they get tickets?'”

Rupp Arena will always be Kentucky’s biggest home-court advantage, currently sitting with a 10-3 record. Calipari surely will need Big Blue Nation in a big way on Saturday with Gonzaga coming to Lexington for a rare February nonconference matchup.

However, a few road games remain on the schedule and Kentucky fans will attempt to infiltrate enemy lines to support their teams. The biggest of them all will be the season finale, with a rematch against Tennessee occurring in Knoxville.

Chanting “Go Big Blue” on Rocky Top might be a little risky but if it’s in the midst of getting a huge win to close out the year, it will all be worth it.