The coaching contract details for Mark Pope at Kentucky and John Calipari at Arkansas ahead of Saturday’s SEC basketball showdown in Rupp Arena.
Good morning, folks! We’re in for a busy day in the world of Kentucky basketball. First, we’ll hear from men’s head coach Mark Pope this afternoon as he prepares for Saturday’s highly-anticipated showdown against John Calipari‘s Arkansas Razorbacks.
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are getting ready to head to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. There should be a good amount of Kentucky fans
Notable notes, stats that stand out, and emerging trends as college basketball closes out the month of January.
John Calipari's anticipated return to Kentucky is just 1 of the 10 things Neil Blackmon is overreacting to this week in SEC basketball.
Both the Arkansas and Kentucky programs have three signees in the 2025 class, and both will bring in five-star talent later this year. The Hogs and Wildcats also both have at least one McDonald’s All-American as part of their respective 2025 recruiting groups.
Arkansas basketball is irrelevant in its first season under John Calipari. Cal's return to Rupp Arena is now just another game for Kentucky basketball
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.
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.
Where does Mark Pope stand on the boo vs. cheer debate currently tearing Big Blue Nation apart as Kentucky prepares for John Calipari‘s return to Rupp Arena? He understands both sides and the wide range of emotions that come with a homecoming of this magnitude.
What will the fan reaction be when former Kentucky coach John Calipari returns Saturday night to Rupp Arena as Arkansas head man?