NCAA Basketball: What happens if John Calipari leaves Kentucky for Texas?

Rumors are running rampant, as they always tend to do in the world of college basketball. With some recent events and additional reports, we’re here to talk about a rumor that just might have some stock in it. After the firing of Chris Beard, Texas is already hunting for its next head coach and have allegedly targeted Kentucky coach John Calipari as a potential replacement. In the past, there have always been rumors about certain coaches with certain programs, and many of them are just hearsay or fantasy. This is not like that.

Calipari arrived at Kentucky in 2009 and was immediately impactful for the Wildcats. He had previously taken both Massachusetts and Memphis to the Final Four and did that task four times in his first six years in Lexington, including a national championship back in 2012. After this immense success, things haven’t been quite as rosy for the Wildcats in recent years. Kentucky finished just 9-16 in the first season after the pandemic and was upended by 15-seed Saint Peter’s in last season’s NCAA Tournament.

This year’s team isn’t exactly breaking out of the rut and has been another major disappointment. The Wildcats have only won one game away from home, a close battle with a disappointing Michigan squad over a month ago. Their recent play has been cause for concern, including last Saturday’s blowout loss at Alabama and the monstrosity that occurred on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats fell at home to South Carolina, who has been the worst team in the SEC this season. The Gamecocks lost by more than 40 points to Tennessee just three days earlier but came to Rupp Arena and upended this Kentucky squad. After a decent start to the season, things are just not going well for these Wildcats, whose defense has been abhorrent in recent weeks. Could this horrid stretch of play be even more motivation for Calipari to move on?