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Before his team improved to 24-0 with a 71-69 nail-biter of a win over LSU Tuesday night, Kentucky coach John Calipari said he told his team, “I hope they beat us.”
As Calipari was shown on ESPN criticizing Karl-Anthony Towns for a technical foul, Towns photo-bombed his coach.
The 7-foot Towns picked up the technical for hanging on the rim following a missed dunk on a play that would have put Kentucky ahead by 10 points midway through the second half. Calipari wasn’t feeling that.
“We had the game, Karl decided to chin himself up,” Calipari told ESPN’s Shannon Spake. “And the reason I didn’t call a timeout, I told them all, ‘I hope they beat us.’ That’s a hero’s play. For no reason he did it. That’s his growth, there’s where he’s learning. But then he came back in, huge rebound, huge basket and he played. It’s his immaturity, I’m asking him to grow fast.”
A projected top-5 pick in the NBA Draft, Towns finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds, including a jump-hook that put the Wildcats up for good with 1:30 left. He added a clutch offensive rebound inside the final minute.
Junior big man Willie Cauley-Stein scored 15 points, freshman Devin Booker added 14 points and sophomore Andrew Harrison had 13 for the Wildcats (24-0, 11-0 SEC), who can tie a school record for the best start to a season by winning at home on Saturday against South Carolina.
Even though LSU big men Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds, LSU opted to let Keith Hornsby attempt a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Hornsby’s shot bounced off the rim as time expired, allowing Kentucky to remain unbeaten.
“I’m not worried about losing,” Calipari told reporters. “This is about us getting better.”
Keep in mind that LSU should be loaded with pros next year, especially if both Martin and Mickey, both sophomores, remain on campus.
LSU adds 6-10 point forward Ben Simmons, a projected top-2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and 6-5 guard Antonio Blakeney. LSU also remains in the mix for 6-4 guard Malik Newman.
