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John Calipari says 'no disrespect' after Kentucky skipped handshakes with Kansas State

"That's not the sportsmanship you like to see, but that's them," said Kansas State forward Levi Stockard III.
Credit:  Brett Davis, USA TODAY Sports

Multiple Kansas State players said Kentucky did not shake their hands following the teams' Sweet 16 matchup Thursday night, which Kansas State won, 61-58.

The lack of postgame handshakes, a traditional show of sportsmanship, miffed some Kansas State players, while Kentucky coach John Calipari insisted that his team did not mean to convey any disrespect.

"My team is not like that; neither is our program," Calipari told reporters. "There's no disrespect in any way. They beat us. They deserved to win the game."

In interviews with ESPN, however, several Kansas State players said they interpreted the lack of handshakes differently.

"That's not the sportsmanship you like to see, but that's them," Kansas State forward Levi Stockard III told the network. "They just walked off the court. I don't know what it was. I don't know."

"It's sorry, man," junior guard Amaad Wainright added. "They're going to the NBA, I guess. I guess (it's) about them being cocky. But it's all right."

Calipari told reporters that the handshakes were thwarted by circumstance. He said he attempted to shake Kansas State's hands but "they were turned and celebrating so (then) I walked off."

"I had no disrespect for anything, just that they were celebrating and I was happy for them," Calipari told reporters. "I walked off, too. But I went down, I shook all the coaches' hands, I went down to shake their hands — which I understood. They're in an Elite Eight game now, a chance to go to the Final Four."

Kansas State's win, its first ever against Kentucky in basketball, propelled the Big 12 school to its first Elite Eight since 2010. Kansas State, a No. 9 seed, will face 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago this weekend with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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