On Saturday, the Arkansas basketball program suffered a tough defeat at home at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats in upset fashion. This game matched up Razorbacks head coach John Calipari against his former Wildcats team, and Arkansas turned in one of its most disappointing performances of the year, falling by a score of 85-77.
Still, after the game, Calipari exuded nothing but class and had plenty of nice things to say about Mark Pope, who succeeded him as Kentucky's head coach two years ago.
“I think he's doing a terrific job. I've said it. When you struggle, and then you get your team playing right, it means you're coaching,” said Calipari when asked what advice he would have for Pope, per Cats Coverage on X, formerly Twitter. “He's doing great. I think he's the right guy for that job. You know, they beat us.
“It's kind of like when my team went in last year and was more desperate than his team. This year, his team came in here more desperate than my team,” he continued. “I don't give advice to other coaches, I'm struggling myself.”
Struggling might be a bit of an overstatement, as Arkansas is still 16-6 on the year and currently sits at number 15 in the country. However, Pope certainly deserves credit for the way he has been able to guide Kentucky through their turbulent season so far in 2025-26.
Meanwhile, Arkansas is looking to build off the success that they experienced in their first year under Calipari in 2024-25, in which they went on a run to the NCAA Tournament, losing to Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
They've gotten off to a strong start to the year, but will look to put the loss to Kentucky behind them quickly as their SEC slate continues.
Arkansas will next take the floor on Saturday against Mississippi State on the road.
