Brown: John Calipari beats Mark Pope at own game, as Arkansas stuns Kentucky basketball
Arkansas, John Calipari give Kentucky basketball glimpse of what may have been in upset
Coverage during the game:
LEXINGTON — Anyone who’s listened to Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope speak since his tenure began has heard his goal of the team attempting, at minimum, 30 3-pointers per game.
The Wildcats are falling short of that objective so far.
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Twenty games into the 2024-25 season, UK is averaging 27.2 attempts from long range per outing. Not bad. But it’s not 30.
Preparing to host Arkansas — and ex-Kentucky coach John Calipari — tonight at Rupp Arena, Pope isn’t giving up on his 3-point target.
“Arkansas is a terrific, really talented team and terrific at guarding the 3 and also terrific at protecting the rim,” Pope said of the Razorbacks, who are tied for eighth in Division I in block percentage (16.3), a measure of how many shots attempted by an opponent are rejected by the defensive team. “They’re a pretty good dual punch in terms of being able to do both those things. … We just have to go earn those (3-point) shots.
“We’ve got to find a way to earn ’em.”
Find them and you’ll find a satisfied Pope.
“When we earn 30 (3-point attempts in a game), it means that we’re playing right. We’re moving right. We’re executing right,” he said.
Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:
Final: Arkansas 89, Kentucky 79
Former UK coach John Calipari snagged a win at Rupp Arena against his former team thanks to a season-best performance from 3-point range. The Razorbacks made 13 3s and shot 52% from deep.
Calipari’s trip of former UK players he brought with him also exacted a bit of revenge on the crowd that booed them from warmups until the end of the game. Adou Theiro scored a team-high 21 points. D.J. Wagner added 17 points and a season-high eight assists. And Zvonimir Ivisic added 14 points — including 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
UK’s offense was stifled in the second half, shooting just 39% from the field. The Cats were led by Amari Williams’ game-high 22 points and Jaxson Robinson, who added 20.
4:09, 2H | Kentucky 73, Arkansas 83
The Wildcats have been unable to tame the Razorbacks so far. Arkansas has led for just over 22 minutes, including the entire second half.
10:54, 2H | Kentucky 60, Arkansas 69
UK has made one of its last seven shots, while Arkansas has made four of its last five. Four Razorbacks are in double figures — Johnell Davis (14), Adou Thiero (17), Karter Knox (10) and D.J. Wagner (10).
UK fan sinks half-court shot during timeout
After two attempts landed short of the basket, this Kentucky Wildcats fan hit a half-court shot for $10,000 as the referees instructed everyone to clear out so play could resume.
16:39, 2H | Kentucky 47, Arkansas 55
The Razorbacks opened the second half with a 9-2 run for their largest lead of the game.
Halftime: Kentucky 45, Arkansas 46
Despite a 7-0 run during the last four minutes of the first half, UK heads into intermission trailing by one. The Wildcats are shooting better than the Razorbacks, 58.6% to 48.5%, respectively. But Arkansas has nine 3s to Kentucky’s seven.
4:32, 1H | Kentucky 37, Arkansas 37
After the Razorbacks took a 34-30 lead, the Wildcats stormed back to tie the game at 37 all. The bucket by Amari Williams prompted “Who’s your daddy” chants from the home crowd.
7:46, 1H | Kentucky 27, Arkansas 23
10:14, 1H | Kentucky 22, Arkansas 20
14:23, 1H | Kentucky 18, Arkansas 12
Kentucky basketball’s starting lineup vs. Arkansas
Here are Kentucky’s starters vs. Arkansas:
And here’s Arkansas’ lineup:
Kentucky starting guard Lamont Butler will not play vs Arkansas
Fifth-year senior guard Lamont Butler, who has an injured shoulder, won’t suit up tonight versus Arkansas. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound California native was listed as “out” on the SEC’s availability report, which posted at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.
What channel is UK basketball vs Arkansas on today?
The contest between the Wildcats and Razorbacks will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play), Jimmy Dykes (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
How to listen to Kentucky vs Arkansas on the radio
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
Kentucky vs Arkansas basketball betting odds
Betting odds: Kentucky is an 11 ½-point home favorite (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 158 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are Kentucky -600, Arkansas +440.
Kentucky basketball 2024-25 schedule
- Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
- Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
- Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
- Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
- Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
- Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
- Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
- Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
- Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
- Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
- Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
- Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
- Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
- Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
- Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
- Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
- Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
- Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
- Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
- Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 69
- Jan. 28: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 78, Tennessee 73
- Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
- Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
- March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
- March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
- March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network
Record: 15-5 (4-3 SEC)
Kentucky basketball 2024-25 roster
- Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
- Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
- Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
- Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
- Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
- Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
- Walker Horn (guard, junior)
- Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
- Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
- Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
- Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
- Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
- Amari Williams (center, graduate)
Arkansas basketball 2024-25 schedule
The Razorbacks are 12-8 this season, with a 1-6 mark in SEC play.
Calipari’s club only had one notable win during the nonconference portion of its schedule: Arkansas topped Michigan, 89-87, in New York on Dec. 10, a matchup that was part of the Jimmy V Classic.
Arkansas’ lone SEC triumph is against Georgia; it has losses to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Calipari is 2-4 in six prior meetings against UK. Five of those games occurred when Calipari was UMass’ coach. In his lone matchup with Kentucky as Memphis’ coach, Calipari’s Tigers won, 80-63, in the third-place game at the 2006 Maui Invitational.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Arkansas, 36-14. Entering tonight’s tilt, the Wildcats have won three in a row over the Razorbacks and 11 of the past 14.
Click here to see the Razorbacks’ full 2024-25 schedule.
Arkansas basketball 2024-25 roster
Want to learn the Razorbacks’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
