Kentucky basketball has been in a period of transition ever since parting ways with head coach John Calipari a couple of offseason ago, and new head coach Mark Pope has had some trouble adjusting to the SEC schedule and the expectations in Lexington.
Pope led the Wildcats to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2024-25, but Kentucky flamed out with a blowout loss in the Sweet 16. This season, Kentucky has really struggled to find its footing, as the Wildcats are sitting at 14-7 and are in the middle of the SEC standings after a disheartening 80-55 loss to Vanderbilt on the road.
Things aren't getting any easier for Pope and company, which is to be expected in one of the best and deepest conferences in the nation. On Saturday, Kentucky will have a reunion with Calipari and Arkansas in Fayetteville. Calipari has the Razorbacks playing very well, and Arkansas is coming off of a gritty road win against Oklahoma.
Despite the success that Calipari has had at Arkansas after leaving Kentucky, he still took some time to endorse Pope as the right man for the Kentucky job before the two meet again on Saturday, via John Nabors of Inside Arkansas.
“Mark Pope is doing a great job,” Calipari said after beating Oklahoma. “For them to struggle like they did and now they are playing better. He’s the right man for the job.”
Arkansas will undoubtedly come into Saturday's game as the favorite, but Calipari himself proved that doesn't mean much in this rivalry last season. During a portion of the year where Kentucky was playing great basketball and Arkansas was struggling, the Razorbacks were still able to go into Rupp Arena and get an upset victory.
Kentucky is still in the projected NCAA Tournament field at the moment, but the Wildcats are currently a middle seed and would be in a bit of no man's land in the bracket at the moment. A win against Arkansas on Saturday would be a good start for a Kentucky team that will be looking to increase its standing in the next month.
