Arkansas coach John Calipari isn't expecting a hero's welcome Saturday at Rupp Arena when he takes the Razorbacks to play at No. 12 Kentucky in his first game back at UK since his 15-year run leading the program ended.

The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team will be in Lexington, Ky. for a matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats this weekend, marking the first time John Calipari will return to his former stomping grounds at the Rupp Arena since leaving the university this summer.

After 15 seasons as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari announced in April 2024 that he would be leaving the program, leaving a school where he led the SEC powerhouse to one championship in 2012 and four Final Fours. The day after announcing he would leave Kentucky, Calipari was named the head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Ignore the hype. Ignore the noise. Ignore the circus that is sure to surround the return of John Vincent Calipari, who in a 15-year run as the UK coach took the Wildcats to four Final Fours and a national championship before his Big Blue express ran out of steam.

John Calipari and the Arkansas basketball team have a big one this weekend as they be hitting the road to take on #12 Kentucky. Calipari was obviously the head coach of the Wildcats last year and had been the head coach since 2009.

There was once a time where John Calipari's return to Rupp Arena on Feb. 1 was thought of as a game that would rival college basketball's greatest regular-season games ever. With a few days remaining until tipoff,