Date Revealed for John Calipari, Arkansas to Take on Kentucky in Lexington

Karl Rasmussen | Aug 21, 2024

Kentucky's coach John Calipari is all smiles as he tells the crowd the may see some zone play during the Blue-White scrimmage at Rupp Arena / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

John Calipari is no longer the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, but he'll still be making a visit to Rupp Arena during the 2024-25 season.

Now with the Arkansas Razorbacks after agreeing to a lucrative deal to swap Lexington for Fayetteville, Calipari will head to his former stomping grounds for a conference matchup in February.

The SEC college basketball schedule was released Tuesday, and among the notable games was the Arkansas–Kentucky tilt scheduled for Feb. 1, 2025 in Lexington at Rupp Arena. That will mark Calipari's first time back at Rupp Arena since his departure.

Rupp reunion 👀

Coach Cal’s Razorbacks head to Lexington on February 1st 🍿 pic.twitter.com/vfVJ6CGxtI

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) August 20, 2024

Calipari had been the coach of the Wildcats since 2009, overseeing 15 seasons with the program. During his tenure, Kentucky made the NCAA Tournament 12 times and won one national championship.

It'll be a reunion of sorts for several players on the Razorbacks, too. A handful players and incoming recruits from the Wildcats followed Calipari to Arkansas, including D.J. Wagner, Karter Knox, Boogie Fland, Zvonimir Ivisic and Billy Richmond.