John Calipari calmly walked his way onto the court, the court in which he collected 234 career wins inside, for the first time since his surprise departure for Fayetteville last offseason. Showered with boos, the HOF coach – who took the Wildcats to four Final Fours and a national championship in 2012 – got the last laugh tonight, silencing a once-boisterous Kentucky crowd as Arkansas ran away with a double-digit win over the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
Not only does this mark John Calipari’s 235th-career win inside Rupp Arena, but it marks a possible turning point of a season that was on the brink of turning from a disappointment to a disaster.
The Razorbacks may have regained their pulse
Entering tonight’s game, Arkansas was 346th nationally in effective field goal percentage (44.6) since January 1st. Tonight, the Razorbacks shot 55.2% from the field and 52% from three with a 66.4 effective field goal percentage. Stunning.
Former Kentucky Wildcat Adou Theiro was magnificent, leading the Razorbacks with 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals. The motor and physicality of the junior was on full display, which is why his name should be discussed more as a first-round pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Adou Thiero's relentlessness on the glass and aggression driving to the hoop is why I'm so high on him in this year's NBA Draft. It's on full display tonight.
— Cole Amundson (@playformarch) February 2, 2025
(And how he got that rebound, I really do not know.)
DJ Wagner found his groove in the second half, scoring all 17 points in the final 20 minutes. Johnell Davis tied his season-high in scoring with 18 points. Ivisic connected on four triples.
At 13-8 (2-6), Arkansas faces an uphill climb to find itself near the at-large conversation. But Q1 wins over Michigan and Kentucky will certainly hold its weight. And there is no underestimating what a win like this can do to a team moving forward.
John Calipari gets his sweet redemption. And maybe, just maybe, this is the win that injects new life into Razorbacks moving forward. Its season is far from over.
In arguably its most important week of the 2024-25 NCAA basketball season, Arkansas will visit Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 5th to take on the Texas Longhorns at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Because life in the SEC offers no breathing room, the Razorbacks will turn around and host fourth-ranked Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 8th at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.