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John Calipari assembled what may have been the greatest team in college basketball history in 2015, and had them just two games away from immortality, until a loss to Wisconsin left them at 38-1.
In an interview with Andy Katz, Calipari made it clear that he still wants that 40-0, and that the 2015 team should’ve been the one to do it. He wants to have that first 40-win team before he retires, he said.
“When you look at it, they all sacrificed for each other and guess what? We almost won all 40,” Calipari said. “I’m still hacked off we lost that game. That team should have been 40-0. That would have been the statement in the history of our sport, if we could have won all 40. And it didn’t happen. So they kind of go by 38-1. Now, that’s the best record in the history of the NCAA. Like to get 40 sometime before I retire.”
With the SEC on the rise, and teams like the Duke Blue Devils jumping further into the one-and-done mix, going 40-0 will be tougher than it would’ve been in 2015 for the foreseeable future.
That said, it’s great to see Calipari is still shooting for that goal. He may come up short of hitting it, but he could still win another title or get to a few more Final Fours in the process.
Be sure to watch the full interview, where Calipari also talks about the national title team with Anthony Davis.