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Everyone’s offering Calipari coaching advice (like he needs it)

A coach who wins 35 games, a conference title and reaches the Elite Eight in his first at a new school usually ditches any doubters for a few years.

Unless you’re John Calipari.

Kentucky (19-8, 7-6) can’t seem to win an SEC road game this season. All six of the Wildcats’ conference losses have come on the road, and some in frustrating fashion. Wednesday’s 77-76 overtime loss to Arkansas was just the latest example of a young team that doesn’t always display poise down the stretch.

Naturally, this means everyone’s offering coaching advice, including Lexington TV sports reporter Alan Cutler.

Cutler begins his “open letter” to Coach Cal by having some nameless postgame radio show caller question if Calipari can coach, laughs at that notion … then proceeds to question how Calipari coaches. He questions Calipari’s motivational techniques, his recruiting choices and his in-game decisions.

In short, just about everything that makes Calipari a top-flight coach. Perhaps he doesn’t excel at Xs and Os, but that’s the only thing at which he struggles. And even then, his in-game strategies usually get a bad rap. After all, a coach doesn’t lead his team to four of the last five Elite Eights without knowing how to bring in great players AND how to teach them to be great.

But that’s life as a coach at a place like Kentucky. You’re only as good as your last game. And that last game was a loss to Arkansas…

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.