"Everybody's Super Bowl" is so true

On3 imageby:Drew Franklin02/15/18

DrewFranklinKSR

John Calipari's "everybody's Super Bowl" comment has gotten a lot of run during his time at Kentucky. He says it so often, it has become a joke amongst the media and fan base. We have all mocked it together for years. But it's so true. Kentucky is everybody's Super Bowl, and last night was another prime example. Unless you've been to some of these opposing atmospheres, it's really hard to comprehend what the Cats face every time they're on the road. It's a completely different challenge than what any other team around the league sees when they play against the same team in the same building. Auburn had fans lined up outside the building for hours before last night's game. Do those same fans even go when any other team is in town? Of course not -- and even if they did, they don't bring it like they do when UK is on the opposing bench. Auburn Arena was insane last night, so much that I think I went deaf for a couple of minutes in the second half and almost passed out while trying to chew my chicken sandwich. It was one of the best atmospheres I've seen at a college basketball game, and I've been to more places for more games than I care to remember. For a building that only holds a little over 9,000 people, it got as loud (or louder) than anything I've heard anywhere else. It was on fire. But only because Kentucky was in town. Calipari said afterward, "Everybody gives us their best shot. There’s no one that’s gonna not play against Kentucky." He often sounds like a broken record, but last night reminded me that it's so true. There is no catching a team off guard when you're Kentucky. You're getting everyone's best, which can't be said for the rest of the teams around the SEC. It's always a t-shirt night. The fans are louder, way louder. The players have waited all season for this one game and they're hungry to get out there and play well. All the celebrities are out. It's a huge deal for the opponent, and Kentucky has to play through it, each and every time they leave Rupp Arena. I'm not making excuses for last night's loss or any other disappointing road losses in the past, but there really is something to being "everybody's Super Bowl." Auburn Arena, which averages under 7,000 fans per game, felt like the wildest scene in all of college basketball last night, like some impossible place for any team to go in and win. But only because Kentucky was in town. As much as we mock it, "everybody's Super Bowl" is right and it only makes it harder on the Cats. At least it doesn't exist in the SEC or NCAA tournaments.

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2024-03-27