LEXINGTON — John Calipari, pacing the sideline, barking instructions. Adou Thiero driving, drawing fouls, stepping to the line, knocking down free throws. D.J. Wagner slashing and distributing to open teammates. Zvonimir Ivišic
́ swishing shots beyond the 3-point arc. Five-star freshman Billy Richmond III grabbing a rebound and throwing a coast-to-coast, highlight-reel pass to another five-star freshman, Karter Knox, capping the play with a two-handed dunk. Assistant coaches Chin Coleman and Chuck Martin greeting players coming off the floor during breaks in the action. Staffer Tyler Ulis bringing his usual Energizer Bunny-like liveliness.
These were the sights, the sounds, Kentucky basketball fans expected to see from their beloved team during the 2024-25 season.
At least, the team they envisioned 10 months ago.
That squad took the floor Saturday night at Rupp Arena. But players weren’t wearing blue-and-white uniforms. And Calipari’s sports coat was red.
These were the 2024-25 Arkansas Razorbacks, not the 2024-25 Kentucky Wildcats.
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Calipari set this moment into motion last April, when he shockingly left UK after 15 seasons guiding the program to set up shop in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
After all the buildup leading into Saturday’s matchup — Would Calipari be cheered or booed during the pregame? (Both, it turns out.) Could Arkansas even make it a game as a double-digit underdog that has had a forgettable season to this point? — the opposing team put on a show.
Calipari’s new club sent his old one — and its fans — into the chilly Kentucky night mourning a loss.
Arkansas took a one-point lead just before the first half ended and never looked back, authoring an 89-79 upset.
“My guys were really hurting in that locker room,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. “They know what this building means. They know what this jersey means. They see everything and hear everything. They know what matters. They’re getting a (first-hand), up-close look at how much it means to the people they’re playing for.”
On a surreal night, Kentucky fans peered through the looking glass of what may have been. The team they might have adored and obsessed over had Calipari stuck around for Year 16 in Lexington.
The alternate-universe reality that may have come to pass for the Wildcats was impossible to miss Saturday.
Four-fifths of Arkansas’ starting lineup had ties to Kentucky (15-6, 4-4 SEC): Ivišić, Thiero and Wagner were Wildcats last year, while Knox was an incoming signee. As was Richmond.
That quintet accounted for 66 of the Razorbacks’ 87 points, led by Thiero’s team-high 21 (to go along with eight rebounds and three steals, a game high).
That’s not even mentioning another UK-turned-Arkansas recruit: point guard
, who already had established himself as one of the best freshmen in college hoops before suffering a season-ending hand injury last month.
Coleman, Martin and Ulis were part of Calipari’s final staff at UK, then followed him to Arkansas (13-8, 2-6).
Prior to Saturday, Calipari had little to hang his hat on in his maiden campaign with the Razorbacks. They had just one Quad 1 victory (over Michigan in New York) in eight tries. And they dropped six of their seven conference clashes. Now, regardless of what else happens this season, Calipari won a personal Super Bowl of sorts.
The loss changes little for UK.
Other than seeking bragging rights over their ex-coach, the Wildcats (No. 12 in both the USA TODAY Coaches and the Associated Press Top 25 polls) weren’t playing for much Saturday. On the strength of its seven Quad 1 triumphs — third most of any team in the country — Kentucky would be safely into the NCAA Tournament if it started next week. A top-three seed would await as it chased a Sweet 16 berth for the first time since 2019. And possibly, if things broke right, a Final Four appearance — the first since 2015, when Calipari’s iconic team won its first 38 games before falling to Wisconsin in the national semifinals.
That’s more than a month away, however, with 10 more regular-season games, and the SEC Tournament, still in front of UK.
With all the hype and emotion of the meeting with Calipari now behind them, the Wildcats can look again to their next game. That takes them on the road to Oxford, Mississippi, where they face Ole Miss on Tuesday. The contest will tip off at 7 p.m. ET at The Pavilion.
It will air nationally on ESPN.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
