The John Calipari era is set to begin for the Arkansas Razorbacks

Former Kentucky coach John Calipari is set to make his Arkansas debut.

Oct 25, 2024; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari during the first quarter against the Kansas Jayhawks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In what was one of the crazier moves of the college basketball offseason, John Calipari left Kentucky to be the new head coach at Arkansans. Now, after a long offseason of recruiting in the portal and high school, it is time for Coach Calipari to make his Arkansas debut.

This evening, the Razorbacks take on Lipscomb in their first game of the season, so college basketball fans will get to see Calipari's team do it for real.

There was a roller coaster of emotions during the exhibition period as Arkansas beat #1 Kansas and then lost to TCU. To be fair, Kansas was missing key pieces, but this was still an impressive win for the Hogs.

Coach Calipari's team will be the same this season as it has been for years in Lexington, with a ton of talent. It will come down to how well this group meshes and the coaching decisions Calipari makes.

Former Kentucky players DJ Wagner, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Adou Thiero all made the move to Arkansas, and they are expected to have great seasons for the Hogs. Kentucky fans will be rooting for these former Wildcats all season long except for when Arkansas comes to Rupp Arena later in the season.

Lipscomb is a solid basketball team, so Arkansas needs to come out and play well to get the win. Arkansas has a ceiling that is incredibly high this season, so expect the Hogs to be a team many like to make a deep run once the month of March rolls around.