John Calipari says Kentucky Wildcats have "proven that they don't need me and I love it"

John Calipari certainly is in a better mood right now than he was around noon Saturday.

That's when he had a mini meltdown on referee Doug Sirmons that led to the head coach being ejected from Kentucky's big matchup with South Carolina.

I have never been more proud of a team. They are now empowered. They've proven that they dont need me and I love it.

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 13, 2016

With Cal out, assistant coach Kenny Payne was the main coach the rest of the game as Kentucky cruised to an 89-62 win over a South Carolina team that was undefeated at home.

Whether it was a ploy to rally his team or simply a meltdown, Calipari certainly loved the end result of his ejection from Kentucky's win over the Gamecocks. That puts the Cats in first-place in the SEC standings with just three weeks left of regular-season action.