At today's practice for Saturday's home game against 15-4 Gonzaga, Calipari handed out copies of a January 22 SI.com story titled "And One For All" written by Tim Layden. At various points during the season, Calipari has made passing reference to the undefeated Patriots and the distribution of the SI.com story was the coach's most overt reference to the AFC Champions, who face the New York Giants in next Sunday's Super Bowl.

"When I read this (article) I'm like, 'Maybe we're on the right track,'" said Calipari. "I gave one to each of the players on the team.We're just talking about staying in the moment with our team. One game at a time. You're not playing to go undefeated. If it happens, that's fine but that's not the point. The point is are we getting better? Are we living in the moment?"

Calipari drew on several examples from the article and discussed them with his team. Among the highlights of Layden's piece to Calipari were making each contest a "one game season," playing with "selflessness, rigor and tunnel vision" and winning in several different ways from grinding it out with a running game to airing it out on the arm of Tom Brady.

"We're having to deal with some of the same stuff," Calipari said. "You know, with my guys, they only know what they need to know for each game. Belichick is the same way. He he doesn't overload them with stuff. Major in the major things and minor in the minor things. Just play the ballgame. I'll tell you what you need to know and you're only going to know what you need (to win). Not more.

"The Patriots' guide to it is more about how to play when you're THE team. It is more than how to play when you're an undefeated team," he said. "They could have one loss and it'd be the same stuff."

Calipari said he has met Belichick only briefly during his time as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets. "I met Belichick when I went to see Bill Parcells at the Jets. Al Groh and Belichick were on that staff. I'd go over to the Jets practices and walk around the field with Parcells."

Now, Calipari is walking shoulder to shoulder with Belichick as the coach of an 18-0 team, hoping to go 19-0.

. . . During dinner at the always tremendous Blues City Cafe Calipari watched as ESPN celebrated the 20th anniversary of the "Send It Jerome" backboard smash by Jerome Lane. Calipari was an assistant on that Pitt Panther team under Paul Evans and recalled exactly what he did after the rim rattler brought down the plexiglass:

"First, I was like, 'What the?' We were winning and I was upset because I thought it was going to stem our momentum," said Calipari. "But after I realized what happened, I scooped up some of the pieces of the backboard. I wound up sending pieces to recruits. True story."

Pitt won the game over Providence, 90-56, after a 32 minute delay. The pass to Lane came from current Xavier coach Sean Miller.