In a game that was as much about nostalgia as it was about basketball, John Calipari, now at the helm of the Arkansas Razorbacks, returned to face his former team. The matchup was filled with emotion, history, and a surprising outcome that left Kentucky fans reeling but also saw several former Wildcat players to jump on X and celebrate Coach Cal's triumphant return to Lexington.
The game statistics tell a story of efficiency and execution on both sides, with Arkansas securing a commanding win at Rupp Arena. The Razorbacks shot an impressive 55.2% from the field, significantly outpacing Kentucky's 48.4%. From beyond the arc, Arkansas was hot, converting 52.0% of their three-point attempts compared to Kentucky's 43.5%. Free throws were another decisive factor, with Arkansas making 75.0% of their shots while Kentucky struggled at 50.0% missing 9.
On the boards, Kentucky managed to grab more rebounds overall, with a slight advantage in offensive rebounds, but Arkansas's defensive play was superior, leading to 14 Kentucky turnovers, a bugaboo that is showing up more and more as the year goes on. The Razorbacks also dominated in fast break points, amassing 18 to Kentucky's 5, showcasing a dynamic pace that Kentucky couldn't match. Which is very strange as it is usually the reverse.
Mark Pope is being torn apart on social media after his team basically no-showed the biggest game of the year in the eyes of many fans.
Where does this team go from here? They have mightily struggled and if Tennessee had shot just a small amount better, they would be sitting at 3-5 with 4 straight losses. As it sits, the Vols couldn't and Kentucky has losses in 3 of it's last 4. Big blue nation is able to withstand a certain amount of bad losses, and I think they are reaching that point this year.
It really hurt fans, and to see former players celebrating means to them that Kentucky didn't mean as much to them as what Cal did. And that is the national debate. Cal won the breakup, and Kentucky fans are struggling with that.
Here are the controversial tweets:
BBN is devouring itself, and once again John Calipari is the reason.