NASHVILLE -- Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari spent most of the winter telling the media that the regular season and SEC tournament weren't all that important to him.
"We're playing for a No. 1 seed," he'd say, referring to NCAA tournament positioning. "All that other stuff only matters as it helps us get that seed."
Then he came to Catsville for the league tourney. Came and saw that Music City was now home to the Blues.
Said Calipari on Saturday, a few minutes after his Wildcats crushed Tennessee 74-45 to advance to this afternoon's championship game against Mississippi State: "When I see a building full of Blue fans who paid a lot of money for tickets -- $500, $1,000, probably people who could not afford to pay $500 or $1,000 -- they're taking their vacation in Nashville, Tennessee, to watch our team play.
"The blue dust is everywhere. It's incredible. So you kind of feel as a coach that you owe it to them to give your best."
In some ways, neither Tennessee nor Kentucky gave its best inside Bridgestone Arena. Too much mouthing off. Too much pushing and shoving. At least one too many cheap shots, which resulted in a flagrant foul being called on UT's Melvin Goins, who was ejected.
"We didn't keep our cool," UT pivot Brian Williams said.
"Both of us crossed the line," added Wayne Chism, who earned one of the Vols' two technicals. "We shouldn't have done that."
But the unkindest cut came from the UT coach's son, Steven Pearl.
"They outplayed us the entire time," young Pearl said. "They wanted it more."
If they played this game between Bruce Pearl and Calipari only, neither side would ever want it more. This is the basketball version of Urban Meyer versus Nick Saban without the mutual respect. These two could make Nancy Pelosi and Rush Limbaugh look like kissing cousins.
To illustrate this point, Calipari reportedly told his squad during the final media timeout of the second half that he wanted to win by 25 points. UK was 15 points ahead. The Wildcats won by 29, the worst loss of Bruce Pearl's five seasons at UT.
"Coach told us that (UT's) going to be physical," UK freshman point guard John Wall said. "Don't let them punk you, he said. I thought we did a great job."
As always, Kentucky's fans have done a great job of turning a supposedly neutral site into Rupp Arena South. One Music City watering hole spokesman told an SEC official Friday night that a typical Friday brought them roughly $20,000 worth of business. More than three hours from closing, they'd made more than $60,000 with the Cats on the prowl.
A Bridgestone Arena security guard told of being "flashed" by a Kentucky female fan in a vain attempt to gain entrance without a ticket.
An hour from Saturday's tipoff, upper-level seats were commanding $400 or more.
"Everywhere we go, our fans support us," Wall said. "We feel like we're playing in our arena."
They've come so far so fast. This time last year UK was about to grudgingly accept an NIT bid. When this season began the North Carolina Tar Heels were within four games of Kentucky in all-time wins. UNC is now 19 games back and in third place, passed by Kansas this past week. The Jayhawks are within 18 wins of the Wildcats.
"This is new to me," Calipari said without much conviction, given that UK's current 31-2 mark represents his fifth straight 30-win season, the first four coming at Memphis.
"This team, they don't even shave yet. I never do a shootaround on a 12 o'clock game, especially back-to-back games, but I did this morning because they told me we've got a couple of guys who might not wake up for the game if we don't."
One of his fabulous freshmen woke up the crowd Saturday by getting into a shouting match with Calipari upon being removed from the game early in the opening half. Then Daniel Orton walked past the bench and through the tunnel leading from the court.
"He went to the bathroom," UK assistant strength coach Scott Padgett said.
Said Cal: "We've had things happen and guys say stuff, and you just shake your head. But he's a good kid. He'll be fine."
The Cats were mostly fine against the Vols for three reasons. First, they hit eight 3-pointers compared to the single one they swished in Friday's tough victory over Alabama. Second, they won the rebounding war, 44-29. Third, UT was playing its third game in three days as opposed to UK playing its second in two days.
As for the Vols, it's difficult to say how fine Tennessee will be after this loss with the opening round of the NCAA tournament only a few days away.
"You don't want to be remembered by that performance," Vols senior J.P. Prince said. "We just can't have another effort like that. because it's just not acceptable."
But if Kentucky keeps playing as it did Saturday, hitting the boards and 3-pointers with equal fervor, Steven Pearl believes the Vols may have just been blown out by the future national champs.
"If they knock down 3s like that," he said, "nobody's going to beat them."
Especially if the blue dust turns every NCAA site into Cal's Cats' home away from home.