How deep does Kentucky need to go in the 2025 NCAA Tournament for John Calipari to stick around?

Kentucky needs to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

After meeting with Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, it's now known that Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari will be back for another season in Lexington.

It's clear that the leash for Coach Calipari is the shortest it has ever been during his time in Lexington, as in two of the last three seasons, he hasn't made it out of the Round of 64.

Since the 2019 Elite Eight run, the Wildcats haven't had much NCAA Tournament success, although the 2020 tournament would have been special if it hadn't been for COVID.

Now the question heading into the 2024-25 season is how many games will Coach Calipari have to win in the NCAA Tournament for Big Blue Nation to feel satisfied. Without any thought, Kentucky will need to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament for Coach Calipari to stick around. If the Wildcats don't make the Sweet 16 next season with the #2 recruiting class coming in and hopefully some talent via the portal, it will be clear the Wildcats need to move on from their Hall of Fame coach.

Hopefully, in the meeting between Barnhart and Calipari, the two discussed some things to turn the program around. It would not come as much of a surprise to see some staff changes ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Coach Calipari has had a very successful career, but it has been a while since his Kentucky team made a run in the NCAA Tournament, and Big Blue Nation needs to see one soon, or it could be the end of the Calipari era.