John Calipari's return to Rupp Arena ends in nightmares for BBN as Arkansas wins 89-79

Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats weren't able to get it done in John Calipari's return to Rupp Arena.

Former UK coach and current Arkansas coach John Calipari hugs Kentucky coach Mark Pope before the game Saturday Feb. 1, 2025 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. / Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

John Calipari made his return to Rupp Arena on Saturday evening and took down the Kentucky Wildcats 89-79. The Wildcats got out to a hot start early shooting the ball from deep, but the Razorbacks weathered the storm to lead by a point at half.

The Razorbacks came out of the gate hot in the second half and never looked back, winning this game by ten points.

Former Wildcats tallied 52 points in this game, led by Adou Thiero, who had 21 points in the win. DJ Wagner had 17 points for the Hogs, and the seven-footer Zvonimir Ivisic had 14.

One bright spot in the loss for the Wildcats was Amari Williams, who scored 22 points on 9-13 shooting. Williams also pulled down 11 rebounds and dished three assists. Jaxson Robinson also had a big day for Kentucky, scoring 20 points on 6-9 shooting.

Arkansas's athleticism proved to be too much for the Wildcats in this game as they were able to get to the rim and score with ease at many points in the game.

The other shocker in this game was the Razorbacks, who shoot 32.5% from three on the season, going 13-25 from deep. Not many would have expected the Hogs to make more threes than the Wildcats in Rupp Arena.

This is an ugly loss for Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats, not only when it comes to SEC play, but it is not a great look optically.

Kentucky has to shake off the ugly loss and find a way to beat Ole Miss in Oxford on Tuesday.