To the victors go the spoils, but a few Kansas State players still had a sour taste in their mouths Thursday night.
Following No. 9 seed K-State’s 61-58 upset victory over Kentucky in the Sweet 16, many Kentucky players and coaches walked off the court rather than shaking their opponents’ hands.
Their actions apparently didn’t go unnoticed.
“I just wish they would have shaken our hands at least, man. That’s crazy,” Kansas State guard Amaad Wainright said after the game, via ESPN.com. ” … It’s all right, man. They’re going to the NBA I guess. It’s about them being cocky.”
Wainright’s teammate, Levi Stockard III, also was a bit puzzled by Kentucky defying the NCAA Tournament custom of the postgame handshake line.
“That’s not the sportsmanship you like to see, but that’s them,” Stockard said. “They just walked off the court. I don’t know what it was. I don’t know.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari defended his team, insisting K-State was busy celebrating when he went to shake their hands.
“They were turned and celebrating, so I walked off,” Calipari said. “There was no disrespect for anything. It’s just that they were celebrating, and I was happy for them.”
Of course, Calipari could have had his players stick around briefly until Kansas State was done reveling in the victory, as many teams have done after suffering defeats.
“On that situation, it’s all about respect,” said Wainright, who added he was specifically hoping to shake Calipari’s hand. “That’s what it should have been — all about respect.”
The loss was Calipari’s first Sweet 16 defeat as Kentucky’s head coach — the Wildcats had won their last six NCAA Tournament regional semifinal games — so the “he hasn’t been there before” argument actually holds some merit.
As for K-State, a chance to play in the Elite Eight against No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago on Saturday night should erase any lingering bitterness.
