Jerry Stackhouse following Kentucky loss: 'I hope they win it all'

Vanderbilt made it close against Kentucky on Friday night, but the Wildcats held off the Commodores to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals. Afterward, Jerry Stackhouse had a challenge of sorts for Kentucky.

He wants the Wildcats to go win the whole thing.

Vanderbilt got within four points of Kentucky in the final seconds, but the Commodores started fouling — and the Wildcats made four free throws in the last 18 seconds to stay out in front. Stackhouse acknowledged how well Kentucky played and called on John Calipari’s team to go all the way.

“I sit here talking about what we didn’t do,” Stackhouse said in his postgame press conference. “They did a lot of things well. They beat us, and I hope they win it all, honestly. The team that beat us, I hope they wind up winning it all.”

The road to a championship won’t be easy, though. Kentucky has to take on No. 2 seed Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals Saturday night. If the Wildcats win, they’d face either No. 4 Arkansas or red-hot No. 8 seed Texas A&M. The Wildcats lost to both Tennessee and Arkansas in their final six games of the regular season.

Tip-off between Kentucky and Tennessee is set for 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

John Calipari on Kentucky’s Big Blue Nation: ‘They’re here and they’re loud’

The 2022 SEC Tournament uprooted from its typical home of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, which has historically been Kentucky’s home away from home in terms of fans taking over the arena, and city for that matter.

This season the tournament has a one-off appearance in Tampa Bay, Florida, before moving back to Nashville for the next decade — Kentucky fans still showed up like it was a home game for their beloved Wildcats.

“I’ll just say it again and say it again and say it again, and it’s true. Our fans travel,” Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. “If we played in Montana, they would be there. I don’t know how they get there, I don’t know if there’s a wagon train. I don’t have any idea, but they’re there, and they’re loud.

“We were getting on the bus today where police had to get them away from the tunnel where we’re staying because they were trying to run down next to the bus, but it makes this place what it is, our fans.”

Kentucky defeated Vanderbilt 77-71 Friday night despite the Commodores delivering one of their most impressive all-around team performances of the season. Calipari credited the home-crowd atmosphere for willing the Wildcats forward to victory.