Calipari wants to make statement against Louisville: "We've got to ruin ESPN's weekend"

With their backs against the wall sitting at 1-5 on the season, John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats are hoping to make a statement this weekend when the team travels to Louisville on Saturday to take on the Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center at 1 p.m. ET. The goal? Prove the college basketball world wrong and "ruin ESPN's weekend" after the media outlet changed the tip time of Saturday's game from noon to 1 p.m. and moved the broadcast over from ESPN2 to ESPN. "We've got to figure out how to win some of these games, and I think if we win, we'll go on a run and they'll start believing. This is hard," Calipari said during his call-in radio show. "This is what I'm saying to all our fans, you've got to have faith. There are a lot of trolls out there right now. And let me say this, they just moved our game from ESPN2 to ESPN. Why do you think they did that?" They're hoping, "Here's (loss) number six." We've got to ruin ESPN's weekend." After "beating everybody's brains in for 11 years," Calipari believes opposing teams are looking at this broken Kentucky team and beat them while they're down. Take advantage while they have a solid shot, even if they may not have consistently over the last decade-plus. "That's got to be our job. "We're going to ruin your weekend." We know why you put this on ESPN instead of ESPN2. You want more people to go to the execution! Well, we ain't having it," Calipari said. "We've been beating everybody's brains in for 11 years, you don't think all these people are waiting in the wings because they think they can beat us now? "For the first time, we've got a chance!"' A little later in the show, Calipari doubled down on ESPN's narrative push, saying the Worldwide Leader in Sports "played right into it." "We need our fans more than ever before. Please, people out there, many trolls, other programs, why would they not jump on this? We beat them all down for 11 years! Now all of a sudden, "We have a chance to beat Kentucky, let's go!" ESPN, they played right into it. "Let's move this game, let's watch the execution with more people watching." Let's ruin their weekend." Despite the poor start to the season and recent turmoil, Calipari is asking fans to support the players and "beat down these trolls" coming after the Kentucky basketball program. If you have complaints and criticisms, send them Calipari's way, just do what you can to support the players. Keep the faith in them. "You need to help us. You need to be for these kids. You've got to beat down these trolls yourself," Calipari said. "These kids are playing for your state, they're playing for this university. The people piling on them, pile on me. You want to blame anybody, you pile on me. I've always seen adversity as an opportunity. It's an opportunity to do something good and make a difference when the struggle is on. I think things happen for a reason. "Going through things like this, when was the last time one of my teams started, I don't think any of my teams started 1-5. None of us have lived through all the stuff we're living through. I've probably made mistakes with how I've dealt with everything to the umpteenth degree to make sure these kids are safe and they've been safe, but it's hurt us as a team and that falls on me. Have faith in this team, I do."