Arkansas basketball head coach John Calipari's Rupp Arena return date set
08/20/2024 03:40 PM
Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari is probably not looking forward to February 1, 2025. That’s the date he is scheduled to return to Lexington to play at Rupp Arena, per the Arkansas basketball conference schedule. Calipari spent 15 years coaching in Lexington at Kentucky basketball.
Calipari famously left Kentucky during the final days of the NCAA tournament this past year. He won a national championship with the Wildcats, as well as making several trips to a Final Four. His last national semi-final appearance at Kentucky was in 2015.
Calipari’s final years at Kentucky were littered with disappointment. The Wildcats bowed out of the NCAA tournament early several times in the last five years. That included this past season, when Kentucky lost to Oakland in the Round of 64. A few years before that, the Wildcats lost as a no. 2 seed to no. 15 seed St. Peter’s.
Arkansas basketball is now the home of the legendary basketball coach. Calipari replaces Eric Musselman, who left the school to take the job at USC. Former Kentucky alum Mark Pope is now the coach for Kentucky.
Arkansas basketball wanted John Calipari
The Razorbacks put together a hefty contract with financial incentives, to entice Calipari to leave Lexington. Arkansas got the guy they wanted, as Calipari signed a five-year deal with the school. He is tasked with taking the program to a national championship. Arkansas basketball last won a title with head coach Nolan Richardson in 1994. The program also made the national championship game in 1995.
It should be a reasonable expectation that Calipari can get that job done. The successful coach has nabbed a treasure trove of NBA talent over the years. Some of the professional players who went to Kentucky under Calipari include Julius Randle, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Devin Booker.
Calipari brought together a talented recruiting class to join him in Fayetteville. He convinced several Kentucky players to join him at Arkansas: D.J. Wagner, Kareem Watkins, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic. The coach then convinced several of his high school recruits, including Boogie Fland, to follow him to Arkansas. The Razorbacks should be loaded this coming season, and will most likely hold a preseason top 25 poll ranking.
Arkansas basketball conference season outlook
Arkansas doesn’t get a return trip from Kentucky, per the team schedule. The Razorbacks have home conference games against Ole Miss, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Missouri, Texas and Mississippi State. Other road games include trips to Vanderbilt, Missouri and South Carolina, among others.
The SEC should have one of the best basketball leagues in the country. Texas and Oklahoma join the conference, after years in the Big 12. Both of those programs made the NCAA tournament in recent years.
While all of these games are important for Arkansas basketball, there’s no doubt that the February 1 meeting with Kentucky will mean just a little bit more to the Razorbacks coach.
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