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John Calipari is a professional talker, a man with a gifted tongue who can leave any audience spinning. If he wasn't a great basketball coach I swear he'd be a great television analyst. Or politician. Or salesman. Anything where the primary requirement is a way with words that can help you make a point -- even if the point is flawed and illogical.
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Which is not to suggest Calipari spews all craziness.
He has his moments, for sure.
But in the process of speaking and spinning, the Memphis coach often makes insightful statements. What comes to mind from this season is the one he constantly preached to fans who filled FedExForum practically every night to watch their Tigers usually dominant an overwhelmed and outclassed opponent.
"Please enjoy this," Calipari said many times, "because this isn't supposed to be happening here."
The NCAA tournament bracket was unveiled Sunday night.
Memphis received one of the four No. 1 seeds.
For the second time in three years.
So what isn't supposed to be happening there happened there again, and it really is amazing on a bunch of different levels. For starters, Memphis isn't North Carolina or UCLA or Kentucky or a traditional power by any standard.
It has produced some nice teams, among them the 1973 outfit that lost to John Wooden's Bruins in the title game. But in all the decades of organized basketball it should be noted that the school never received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament until 2006 -- a year that will forever be remembered as the year Calipari started making things happen at Memphis that aren't supposed to be happening at Memphis.
He ran a gifted roster through C-USA and earned a No. 1 seed.
Then last year it was a No. 2 seed.
And now it's another No. 1 seed.
