"He was the right guy for the job": John Calipari makes his feelings known on Mark Pope after Arkansas upsets Kentucky at Rupp Arena

John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks pulled off an 89-79 upset over his former team, the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats, on Saturday night in Lexington. After the game, he had kind words for Mark Pope, who took over as Kentucky’s coach this season after Calipari stepped down.

"Good team, good shooting, big kids are playing well. Mark's done great — he was the right guy for the job," Calipari said at the end of the postgame press conference.

"What Kentucky is doing and how they're doing it — Mark Pope is doing a great job, not a good job, a great job. And what they're doing today, we kind of got them today. Just move on to the next game. This is one game, and if anybody takes it more than that, you're crazy." [8:00]

John Calipari, who coached Kentucky from 2009 to 2024, left the Wildcats program on April 9, 2024, and a day later was named the new coach of the Razorbacks. Mark Pope, who had been at BYU since 2019, was hired to replace Calipari at Kentucky.

The Razorbacks went into the game with a 1-6 record in the SEC, including their last week's loss to Oklahoma. On the other hand, the Wildcats were sitting at 15-5 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

Arkansas took control of the game early on, jumping out to a narrow 46-45 lead at halftime. The visiting Razorbacks continued their strong play in the second half, outscoring Kentucky 43-34 to earn the double-digit victory.

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John Calipari reacts to his return to Rupp Arena

For 15 years, coach John Calipari prowled the sidelines at Rupp Arena, leading Kentucky to four Final Four appearances and the 2012 NCAA title. So it was certainly a strange feeling for him to return to Lexington as the opposing coach.

Not to mention, the Wildcats fans who once showered him with adoration, booed him as he made his way to the visitor's bench.

"It's hard to win in here," Calipari said postgame (0:17). "I got to be honest with you. I looked up a couple times and I thought we were losing because I kept looking at Kentucky instead of Arkansas ... and Adou said, 'Coach, I did the same thing.'

"It's 15 years here, you know what I mean? The great thing for me was I was able to get around and see all my dear friends."

Ex-Wildcat Adou Thiero led the way for the Razorbacks scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds. DJ Wagner Jr., another Kentucky star who followed John Calipari to Arkansas, added 17 points in the win.