Last April, John Calipari decided to “step away” from the University of Kentucky after 15 seasons; a 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 winning percentage there, boos still managed to be loud as he returned.
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Well, Calipari got the last laugh, as his Razorbacks took home an 89-79 upset victory over the 12th-ranked team in the country.
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Arkansas head coach John Calipari gives high-fives to his team during the Kentucky game, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025, at Rupp Arena in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Calipari admitted that it took some getting used to.
“It’s hard to win in here. And I’ve got to be honest with you, I looked up a couple of times and I thought we were losing because I kept looking at Kentucky instead of Arkansas,” Calipari said. “I made it clear it was a privilege and an honor to coach here. We had 15 unbelievable years of a great run and support.”
With Kentucky, Calipari made the NCAA Tournament all but two seasons. Last year’s team was knocked out in the first round as a No. 3 seed against Jack Gohlke and No. 14 Oakland. In 2022, the Wildcats were upset by No. 15 St. Peter’s, and they lost in the Round of 32 in 2023.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari stands on the court before the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. (Jordan Prather-Imagn Images)
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Calipari went 410-122 (.771) with the Wildcats – this year’s Arkansas team is now 13-8 but 2-6 in conference.
The Hall of Fame coach is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball and has an 867-271 mark during his stops at Massachusetts, Memphis, Kentucky and now Arkansas. He was 248-26 at Rupp Arena and led the Wildcats to a 93-77 win over Vanderbilt in his last home game at Kentucky last March 6.
It wasn’t just a return for Calipari. Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Zvonimir Ivisic combined to score 42 points against their former team in Lexington en route to the win.
Arkansas coach John Calipari takes the court before the Kentucky Wildcats’ game, Saturday Feb. 1, 2025, in Lexington. (Matt Stone/Courier Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
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With Arkansas leading 46-45 at the half, Thiero and Wagner combined for a 12-2 run and a 58-47 lead to start the second half. Thiero opened with a dunk and ended the run with a three, and the Razorbacks never looked back.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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