Last April John Calipari decided to “go away” from the University of Kentucky after 15 seasons; One day later he joined the University of Arkansas.
Well, Calipari returned to Kentucky on Saturday night, and despite a championship in 2012 and a .771 winner percentage there, boos still managed to be high when he returned.
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Well, Calipari got the last laughter when his razorbacks took home an 89-79 upset victory over the 12th ranked team in the country.
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Arkansa’s main coach John Calipari gives high-fives to his team during the Kentucky game, Saturday, February 1, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imag images)
Calipari admitted that it took some to get used to.
“It’s hard to win here. And I have to be honest with you, I looked up a few times and I thought we lost because I continued to look at Kentucky instead of Arkansas,” Calipari said. “I made it clear that it was a privilege and an honor to train here. We had 15 incredible years with a big race and support.”
With Kentucky, Calipari NCAA made all except two seasons. Last year’s team was knocked out in the first round as No. 3 seeds against Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland. By 2022, Wildcats were upset by No. 15 St. Peters, and they lost in the round of 32 in 2023.
Arkansas Razorback’s main coach John Calipari stands on the field before the game against Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena at the Central Bank Center. (Jordan Prather-IMAGN images)
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Calipari went 410-122 (.771) with Wildcats this year’s Arkansas team is now 13-8 but 2-6 in conference.
The Hall of Fame coach is the winning most active coach in Men’s College Basketball and has an 867-271 brand during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game in Kentucky last March.
It was not just a return for Calipari. Adou Thiero, DJ Wagner and Zvonimir Ivisic combined to score 42 points against their former team in Lexington on their way to victory.
Arkansas coach John Calipari takes the court for Kentucky Wildcats’ game, Saturday, February 1, 2025, in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imag images)
With Arkansas, which led 46-45 at half, Thiero and Wagner combined into a 12-2 race and a 58-47 lead to start the second half. Thiero opened with a thump and ended the race with a three, and Razorbacks never looked back.
