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BREAKING VIDEO: Calipari Talks to Hogs in Rupp Arena Friday

Former Kentucky coach tries to pump up Razorbacks in hopes of huge road victory
Bob Stephens|
Coach John Calipari shown celebrating with his Kentucky Wildcats as he's presented with the NCAA national championship trophy after 67-59 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Final Four nearly 13 years ago at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 2, 2012.
Coach John Calipari shown celebrating with his Kentucky Wildcats as he's presented with the NCAA national championship trophy after 67-59 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the finals of the Final Four nearly 13 years ago at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on April 2, 2012. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksKentucky Wildcats

Homecomings can be hard. Just returning to a former workplace can spark memories for anyone — both good and bad. That's certainly the case Friday night for one of the most famous coaches in the country.

Arkansas' basketball team traveled to Lexington, Ky., today in preparation for Saturday night's SEC game against the No. 12-ranked Kentucky Wildcats. It's a game of monumental interest to the college basketball world because of one man.

That guy is first-year Razorbacks coach John Calipari. He coached at Kentucky the previous 15 years, a story that's been told countless times this week by media outlets all over the nation. It's big news for a few reasons.

Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach going back to his former school for the first time, the program where he won a national championship in 2012 and went to four Final Fours in five seasons between 2011-15. Another reason is how he left, with a relationship gone somewhat sour with much of Kentucky's fan base known as Big Blue Nation, and Arkansas offering a lifeline through Tyson boss and mega Razorback fan John Tyson.

After the Hogs landed, they went to legendary Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington for a workout. Calipari gathered his players and talked about what it means to play in that building which seats 23,500. He's got three former Kentucky players gathered around him who played for the 'Cats last season.

"Here's my point to you guys," Calipari said to his team. "Fearless tomorrow, Fearless tomorrow, because that's how I'm coaching. I've coached here and some of you guys played here, but to play in this building is a big deal, isn't it."

He pointed to former Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo and asked how long he was on cloud nine after beating Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Aidoo smiled broadly.

"It's going to be packed," Calipari said. "It's the biggest ticket they've had all year — our game."

The former Kentucky players are 6-foot-8 junior forward Adou Thiero, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard D.J. Wagner and 7-foot-2 sophomore forward Zvonimir Ivisic. Thiero has blossomed in his third season while Wagner is Calipari's Swiss army knife and Big Z is a force on both ends as a shot blocker, post-up threat and the Hogs' best 3-point shooter.

Kentucky (15-5, 4-3 in the SEC) is a heavy favorite to whip the Hogs (12-8, 1-6) but Calipari would love nothing more than to pull a monumental upset in prime time on ESPN, which called the game "A Homecoming Like No Other."

One of Calipari's most memorable moments in the history of the Arkansas-Kentucky series occurred in 2020 in Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The UK coach was slapped with two technicals for an automatic ejection with just over eight minutes remaining but the Wildcats rallied to win.


It's unlikely Calipari will resort to that behavior Saturday, but if Kentucky coach Mark Pope, who played on the Wildcats' 1996 national title team, loses to the downtrodden Hogs, it won't be well received in the Bluegrass State. Pope earned love quickly after getting the Wildcats off to a fast start this season, but that would be a head-shaking setback.

Calipari has struggled at Arkansas, but if the Hogs somehow beat Kentucky in Rupp with the whole country keeping at least one eye on the game, it'll do more to help him than it will hurt Pope. Tune in at 8 p.m. Saturday for one of the most anticipated tip offs of the college hoops season to see if the Razorbacks can pull off a shocker.

HOGS FEED:

• 'A Homecoming Like No Other' Will Have Nation Watching

• Were Razorbacks simple convenient way out for Calipari

• Which True Freshmen Make Instant Impact For Razorbacks in 2025?

• Razorbacks NIL raffle bill hits minor snag but still on track

• Calipari doesn't want Hogs to forget longtime fans in new policy

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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