Calipari Sees Kentucky Get Signature Win Hogs are Craving
![Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Pope directs guard Jaxson Robinson, the former Razorback, during the Wildcats' 78-73 upset over the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Kentucky Wildcats coach Mark Pope directs guard Jaxson Robinson, the former Razorback, during the Wildcats' 78-73 upset over the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3055,h_1718,x_351,y_50/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_hogs/01jjs4nqe4gk1pyaezc4.jpg)
Gotta wonder, does John Calipari wish he was still at Kentucky? He might've had the thought now and again in his most private moments while his new team was struggling to an embarrassing 1-6 start in SEC play.
But deep down, Coach Cal knows he made the right move in leaving Kentucky after 15 mostly fabulous seasons that included a national championship in 2012. That relationship with Big Blue Nation and its fan base that is perhaps the most fanatical in the country had soured.
True, sometimes couples split and one of them pines for a reunion but that'll never happen. And deep down, no way Calipari wants that. What he wants -- and desperately needs for his downtrodden Arkansas Razorbacks -- is a signature win against an upper echelon SEC team. Like the one Kentucky earned Tuesday at Tennessee.
Can Calipari walk into his former home, legendary Rupp Arena, on Saturday and somehow direct his struggling Razorbacks to one perhaps the biggest upset in the series between the two proud programs? Not likely.
But more than any other game, it's the one both Calipari and Big Blue Nation circled on the calendar with the most anticipation. For Coach Cal, it might be dread at this point but with an open spot on the schedule just ahead of the trip to Lexington, he hopes to have the Hogs humming on all cylinders.
That group includes three former Wildcats who figure prominently in Arkansas' rotation along with three recruits who signed with Kentucky but followed Calipari to Fayetteville. The first group is DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic -- all playing well of late for the Hogs. The three 5-star recruits are Boogie Fland, the top point guard in the 2025 class, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III. Fland had hand surgery is likely out for the rest of the season, a major loss as he is Arkansas' second leading scorer behind Thiero, second in the SEC in assists, and first in the league in minutes played when he went out.
Kentucky is ranked No. 12 under first-year coach Mark Pope. His Wildcats limped into Rocky Top and stole a huge victory against No. 8 Tennessee. They led 30-22 before the Vols closed the first half on an 11-0 run. But Kentucky made nine of its first 12 shots in the first eight minutes of the second half to build a 55-44 lead.
Tennessee fought back within 74-73 with 28.6 seconds left on a Chaz Lanier 3-pointer but Otega Oweh, who had 14 points, buried four free throws to seal the deal. The win moved Kentucky to 15-5, 4-3 in the SEC and dropped Tennessee to 17-4, 4-4. The Hogs are a stunning 12-8, 1-6.
Kentucky beat Tennessee while missing Lamont Butler, their second leading scorer, their point guard, their assists leader, their leader. They were also without 6-foot-11 Andrew Carr, their second leading rebounder and fourth leading scorer, tried to play but was limited to one ineffective minute by a bad back.
Butler and Carr had missed Kentucky's previous game, a five-point loss at Vanderbilt, now ranked No. 24. Others stepped up for the 'Cats against their biggest SEC rival as Kentucky snapped a two-game losing streak -- including 102-97 at home to No. 4 Alabama.
All five starters scored in double figures as Pope's motion offense caused trouble for Tennessee's defense, which can be stifling at times. Koby Brea led the way with 18 points, followed by former Razorback Jaxson Robinson, who hit 4-of-9 from 3-point land for 17 points.
Robinson mostly handled point guard duties efficiently as Kentucky scored its third consecutive victory against an AP top 10 team on the road. The 'Cats are also 6-1 against top 15 teams in Pope's first season at the helm.
Pope and Big Blue Nation would be devastated if Calipari is able to strut out of Rupp Arena Saturday night with his head high and one of the biggest wins of his storied career added to his total that leads all active coaches.
The nation will be watching with intense interest, despite Arkansas' struggles. That's why ESPN dubbed it "A Homecoming Like No Other."