By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Davion Mintz didn’t make any excuses after Kentucky opened the season with three losses during the first four games.
“We are not really good right now,” Mintz said following Kentucky’s 79-62 loss to Georgia Tech last Sunday. “We’re not good as a team. We are really good individuals and guys who I feel are going to have to be willing to understand, including myself, that we have to change something and just continue to fight.”
In addition to a revamped lineup, Kentucky, like all other teams in the country, is enduring an unprecedented season because of the ongoing pandemic, making it harder on coaches to communicate with their players.
“I’ve been through this kind of stuff and I just haven’t done it in this environment,” Calipari said. “There are no face-to-face contacts, very little with me, and you need that when you’re young. You need to talk. You need the face-to-face.”
Kentucky currently is on a five-day break and will take on Notre Dame in a noon contest Saturday at Rupp Arena. The Irish are 1-1 on the year following a 78-70 victory over Detroit Mercy last Sunday.
The rest of the non-conference schedule features UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 19 at Cleveland and Louisville on Dec. 26.
Looking back, Calipari now second-guesses the schedule for this year’s squad.
“I knew (the schedule) was a mistake and probably should have just said, ‘Look, here’s what we are doing,’” Calipari said. “But it should make us better. You look at all of this stuff and it’s either a setback or you’re ready to say, ‘It’s setting us up for something that we need to do.’ Because every one of these games we’re learning.”
MORE TIME: Calipari said Monday that he’s anxiously awaiting the return of sophomore Keion Brooks, who is recovering from a leg injury.
“It may be two or three weeks,” Calipari said. “They’re going slow at it, I understand. We need his leadership.”
NO MERCY: For the second time this season, Detroit Mercy has postponed its game against Kentucky. The two teams were originally scheduled to play on Nov. 27, but was postponed and rescheduled for Dec. 15 because of COVID-19 concerns. The contest was called off for a second time because of pandemic concerns on Tuesday.
TIMES SET: The Southeastern Conference established starting times for Kentucky’s 18 league games, starting with South Carolina on Dec. 29. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Following the South Carolina game, the Wildcats will take on Mississippi State at 6 p.m. on Jan. 2 on the SEC Network.
Gametracker: Notre Dame at Kentucky, noon Saturday. TV/Radio: CBS, UK Radio Network.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com.