Every coach in America has a theory when it comes to scheduling. It’s typically based on the nature of his program, the quality of the team he expects to return and a number of other factors.
As you’d expect, John Calipari has undergone quite the evolution over the years.
At Massachusetts and Memphis, he was tasked with rebuilding programs and scheduled as such. Whenever there was an opportunity to play on television, he took it, regardless of the time, place or opponent.
At Kentucky, he needs not worry about national exposure – that will take care of itself. Instead, Coach Cal has a primary goal in mind when seeking out non-conference opponents: getting his team ready for the NCAA Tournament.