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Does John Calipari have what it takes to grab the Olympic ring with Team USA?

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 02: Head coach John Calipari celebrates after the Wildcats defeat the Kansas Jayhawks 67-59 in the National Championship Game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 2, 2012 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

said Monday that when the Olympic flame goes out, so will he. After winning gold in Beijing in 2008, and shooting for gold again in London this summer, Coach K will step down as the head coach of the U.S. men's basketball team.  Could Calipari replace him?  One Detroit writer doesn't think so.  Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Press says of Calipari:  “He is a better coach than most fans realize, and as he just showed, he can handle the pressure of coaching a team that is supposed to win. But he is a walking controversy. He has too many feuds and too many friendships. He has a mutual love affair with James that could give the Heat star too much influence on a Calipari team. I don't see USA Basketball turning to Calipari.”

 

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On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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