John Calipari isn’t one to hold back praise when it’s earned-and when it comes to Kentucky head coach Mark Pope, he’s been nothing but complimentary since handing over the reins in Lexington. Pope, in his first year at the helm, guided the Wildcats to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and Calipari’s respect for that effort has been clear.
So when Calipari spoke following Arkansas’ gritty comeback win over Oklahoma on Tuesday night, it wasn’t a shock to hear him once again tip his cap to Pope.
“They’re playing great. Mark Pope’s done a great job,” Calipari said. “For them to struggle, and for him to get them going, he’s the right guy for that job.”
At the time, those words carried some weight. Kentucky was riding a five-game SEC winning streak, seemingly hitting its stride under Pope.
But just hours later, that momentum came to a screeching halt. The Wildcats were outplayed and outpaced in an 80-55 loss to Vanderbilt-a performance that raised real questions about where this team stands heading into a high-stakes road matchup in Fayetteville.
Now, Pope’s group has to regroup quickly before facing an Arkansas team that’s 16-5 overall and 6-2 in SEC play. And let’s not forget what happened last season-when Calipari’s Razorbacks, then struggling, marched into Rupp Arena and handed Kentucky a loss that nobody saw coming. That kind of history isn’t lost on either side.
Saturday night in Bud Walton Arena promises to be electric. Arkansas fans know what’s on the line, and if the Razorbacks get rolling early, they won’t hesitate to turn up the pressure-just like Vanderbilt did, when they essentially ran down the clock with a 25-point cushion and Kentucky had no answers.
But Calipari isn’t hyping this one up as a revenge game or a showdown of epic proportions. For him, it’s about staying the course.
“What I would say: it’s the next game. We’re in a different position (from last year),” he said.
“We kinda flipped the switch (last season). We got them pretty good, but we were 1-6 (in SEC play).
I didn’t care who it was. We needed to beat somebody.
And now, the only significance of the game to me is we need to keep winning.”
For Arkansas, it’s about maintaining momentum. For Kentucky, it’s about proving that Tuesday’s collapse was just a misstep-not a sign of deeper issues. Pope’s squad has shown flashes of high-level play this season, but consistency will be the key if they want to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Saturday night’s matchup isn’t just another SEC game-it’s a litmus test for both programs. One is trying to keep climbing. The other is trying to steady itself before the ground starts to give.