John Calipari expects boos from the Kentucky faithful when Arkansas visits the Wildcats at Rupp Arena Saturday night. It’ll be the first time the head coach visits the arena as an opposing man on the sidelines since he left Kentucky.
On Saturday night, he’ll be introduced as head coach of the visiting team, the Arkansas Razorbacks. UK fans have not had to cope with anything similar since Rick Pitino — himself a UK national champion — brought archrival Louisville into Rupp in 2001.
For the first time since leaving Kentucky to take the Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Job at Arkansas, John Calipari will return to Rupp Arena- a place he
Here's a scouting report and prediction for Arkansas basketball's road game against Kentucky, marking John Calipari's return to Rupp Arena.
The hobbled No. 12 Wildcats, down starters Lamont Butler and Andrew Carr, show grit in tense win vs.the No. 8 Volunteers
Contrast that success with Calipari’s first Arkansas team, which needed six tries to notch its first SEC win of the year, and Kentucky fans figure to have plenty of ammunition Saturday. The Razorbacks are just 12-8 overall, and their 1-6 start to SEC play has them looking like a long shot for an NCAA Tournament berth.
How Mark Pope’s Wildcats and John Calipari’s Razorbacks match up at each position for Saturday’s SEC men’s basketball showdown.
Granted, Kentucky was a longtime blue blood in the world of basketball and Arkansas’ climb to success had come during Sutton’s 11 years as the head coach. He laid a foundation that Nolan Richardson used to add a trophy room that included the 1994 national championship.
The last time Rick Pitino took to Twitter to address Kentucky fans was after Mark Pope was hired when John Calipari left for Arkansas, a message that went a long way in getting fans on board with the surprising hire.
If Arkansas beats Kentucky on Saturday, I can see a movie in the works: Call it "The Calipari Redemption," with speaking roles for Morgan Freeman as trail-blazing basketball coaches Nolan Richardson and Orlando "Tubby" Smith.
Last season, Zvonimir Ivisic was a constant storyline for UK basketball. How has Ivisic fared this season at Arkansas?