John Calipari and Kentucky basketball scored a huge win on Saturday, upending No. 5 Tennessee on the road 63-56, ending a two-game skid for the Wildcats.
The outcome of the SEC quickly became secondary news, however, after Calipari was part of an awkward and uncomfortable halftime interview with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe.
Following the first half — in which Kentucky overcame an 8-0 start by Tennessee to take a 33-26 halftime lead — Rowe asked Calipari about a timeout he took to stymie the Volunteers' game-opening run. The Wildcats coach interrupted Rowe before she could finish her question, grabbing her by the shoulders so he could respond.
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"Many times. Hold on," Calipari said. "Many times. Did we miss three wide-open shots?"
"You did," Rowe responded.
"That's why we're down 8-0, not what we're running and all that," Calipari said, removing his hands from Rowe's person as he said it. A few moments later, he placed his right hand on Rowe's shoulder as he finished his answer.
Kudos to Rowe, who handled an awkward-at-best situation in a professional manner. Neither she nor Calipari made mention of the moment on air after the fact. Apart from raising a few eyes on social media, the situation has not been addressed by Rowe, Calipari or Kentucky after the game.
While it appears Calipari did not intend any harm or ill will toward Rowe, it was still an inadvisable decision. While Rowe and Calipari may have a good working relationship, thus making the incident a non-issue between the two, the Wildcats coach's actions lacked situational awareness — people watching the exchange may not be aware of their history and whether Rowe felt comfortable with the exchange in the moment.
At the very least, it was bad optics.