All eyes will be on John Calipari when the Arkansas Razorbacks coach returns to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since his departure.
At the beginning of the year, the Saturday contest at Rupp Arena was circled on everyone's calendar. That's still the case, though not because it's a game against two good teams.
John Calipari is making his grand return to Lexington, Kentucky, as the leader of a program other than the Kentucky Wildcats. That job belongs to Mark Pope now. Instead, Calipari is leading the SEC rival Arkansas Razorbacks.
How to watch Arkansas vs. Kentucky
- Date: Saturday, February 1
- Time: 9pm ET
- Venue: Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Kentucky record: 15-5
- Arkansas record: 12-8
Arkansas vs. Kentucky odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Arkansas +460
- Kentucky -650
Spread
- Arkansas +11.5 (-120)
- Kentucky -1.5 (-102)
Total
- 158.5 (over -105/under -115)
Arkansas injury report
- Boogie Fland, G: OUT
Kentucky injury report
- Andrew Carr, F: Probably (back)
- Kerr Kriisa, G: OUT
- Lamont Butler, G: OUT
Arkansas and Kentucky series history
- Arkansas all-time record vs. Kentucky: 14-36
Arkansas vs. Kentucky prediction
At this point, all of the hype surrounding this game revolves around one story: Calipari's return to Kentucky. It's unclear what kind of reception he'll get at Rupp Arena, though the way the Wildcats are playing should create for a genial atmosphere among fans.
When the game actually tips off, though, this should quickly devolve into a contest between mismatched teams at an unforgiving venue for a road team. Kentucky's 15-5 record hides a more modest 4-3 record in SEC play, but the Wildcats have only one home loss to their name in the Mark Pope era.
The Razorbacks are very much on the other side of the spectrum. The team has only one win in SEC play (South Carolina is the only team with none) and one true road win this season. It's a David vs. Goliath situation.
That's not to say Arkansas doesn't have some ferocious players who could make life difficult for the Wildcats. Forward Adou Thiero, who followed Calipari to Arkansas, is proving to be the best player who traded blue shirts for red laundry when their coach left. He's averaging 16.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, scoring in double-figures 16 times this season. Even if Andrew Carr can play wit his bad back, Kentucky doesn't have the power to match Thiero.
But that's pretty much where the advantages end for Arkansas. Perhaps they have more depth on their bench due to the Wildcats' injury situation. From a player-to-player perspective, however, Kentucky is simply more talented. They're also more consistent, despite the hype surrounding transfers DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis at Arkansas.
High emotions could make things interesting in a primetime game that will get a viewership bump from following UNC-Duke. There's no reason to think Kentucky shouldn't be able to coast to a win over their former coach.
Prediction: Kentucky 80, Arkansas 65