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Patience is wearing thin for a number of Kentucky fans following a recent upset to South Carolina. Many have grown tired of seeing John Calipari as the team’s head coach.
One fan decided to take his frustrations out on Coach Cal’s daughter, Erin, after the blowout loss – a move that quickly backfired on social media.
The fan watched the Wildcats struggle in their latest SEC showdown as they fell to the Gamecocks, 79-62. UK shot just 40% from the field and fell well short of their season scoring average of 92 points per game.
As South Carolina fans celebrated a monumental win, Kentucky supporters vented online.
Most did so in typical fashion by simply writing a message on their own personal timeline or making a comment on a local media thread to voice frustrations.
This particular fan opted to make things a little more personal, though.
He targeted Erin Calipari, unprovoked, reacting to a days-old post on her X feed.
Your father just got blown out by South Carolina. That’s unexceptable. I was so excited about Big Z but now I’m so mad. Tell your father if we don’t make the final four this year he’s fired. Go cats!
— Rico in Oakland (@Rico_in_Oakland) January 24, 2024
“Big Z!” she wrote on Saturday in response to 7-foot-2 Croatian phenom Zvonimir Ivisic’s monster debut vs. Georgia.
“Your father just got blown out by South Carolina,” the fan responded on Tuesday night. “That’s *unacceptable*. I was so excited about a Big Z but now I’m so mad. Tell your father if we don’t make the Final Four this year he’s fired. Go ‘Cats!”
Ivisic was held in check against the Gamecocks, landing as many personal fouls (3) as points scored. It was a night where the Wildcats couldn’t get much of anything going on the offensive end, sparking the online criticisms.
John Calipari gave credit to the South Carolina defense, dubbing the unit the best in the SEC.
His response, or inability to adjust, clearly wasn’t good enough for those Kentucky fans.
Erin Calipari didn’t take the unprovoked attack lightly, however. She quickly responded with a quote tweet of the fan’s original reply.
“Hi Rico. Thanks for the message,” she sarcastically wrote. “Please tell your father that you spend your evenings messaging adult children of basketball coaches on Twitter. I’m sure he will be proud.”
Hi Rico. Thanks for the message. Please tell your father that you spend your evenings messaging adult children of basketball coaches on Twitter. I’m sure he will be proud 🖤 https://t.co/25Rcbtwnqe
— Dr.ErinCalipari (@TheErinCalipari) January 24, 2024
Mic dropped.
It’s worth noting that Coach Cal currently has the ‘Cats positioned in the Top 10 of the polls, with a 14-4 overall record. They were projected as a 3-seed in the latest Bracketology update from Joe Lunardi.
This loss shouldn’t do much to change that as Kentucky looks destined to make their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance under Calipari.
But despite leading the program to four Final Fours, three title games, and a national championship, frustrations are mounting surrounding the longtime head coach.