John Calipari booed in return to Kentucky, but Arkansas gets win
The boo birds are out in Lexington, Kentucky.
John Calipari returned to Kentucky’s Rupp Arena on Saturday for the first time since leaving in April to take the head coaching position at Arkansas. Heading into the SEC matchup between the Wildcats and Razorbacks, many wondered if Calipari would receive a warm welcome, including Calipari himself.
‘Walking in there will be emotions. I look forward to walking as the opposing coach,’ he said on Thursday. ‘In my time, I don’t remember them ever cheering an opposing coach, so I’m fine. (The fans) are engaged and my guess is that they’ll be engaged on Saturday night.’
Calipari guessed right. Big Blue Nation unleashed a chorus of boos as Calipari stepped on the court, where he coached the Wildcats from 2009 to 2024 and led the team to the 2012 national championship and four Final Four appearances.
Calipari shared an embrace with Mark Pope, who succeeded him as Kentucky’s head coach, ahead of tipoff.
Despite the icy reception, Calipari said his opinion of the Kentucky fanbase remains unchanged.
‘You’re not going to erase from my mind what we’ve done (in Kentucky). You can’t erase history. That’s what it was,’ Calipari said ahead of his return. ‘The fans are terrific. They were terrific during our run.’
Calipari got the last laugh on Saturday.
In the defining moment of Calipari’s tenure to this point, his Razorbacks upended the No. 12 Wildcats 89-79.
Arkansas vs. Kentucky highlights
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
