NCAAB analyst calls out Arkansas’ John Calipari for failing to “do something different”; gives the edge to Kentucky and Mark Pope

John Calipari sent shockwaves through the college basketball world in April when he left Kentucky and joined Arkansas as the Razorbacks’ new head coach. It was only a matter of time before comparisons were made between the two programs in the 2024-25 season.

Arkansas head coach John Calipari reacts to a call against Baylor during the second half. Photo: Imagn

The subject was discussed on the "Field of 68" podcast Saturday, and college basketball analyst Rob Dauster had strong takes regarding Calipari and new Kentucky coach Mark Pope.

When asked, "Would you rather be Kentucky or Arkansas?" Dauster made it clear that he's siding with the Big Blue Nation. He said if he "had any Arkansas stock, it's been sold."

"I’m so mad at myself for talking myself into the idea that John Calipari was going to do something different (at Arkansas). And he’s not doing anything different."

Dauster blames Calipari for Arkansas' inconsistent start

The No. 20 Razorbacks have wins over Lipscomb and Troy that were far from convincing, and they lost by five points to No. 12 Baylor.

Dauster saw similarities between Calipari's Arkansas team and his Kentucky side that suffered embarrassing losses to Saint Peter's and Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024 respectively.

"Because he did something completely different last year, and it worked. It worked as well as we have seen it work for a Kentucky team in years, so like why wouldn’t you lean back into it, why would you go back to do the stuff that got you upset by Saint Peter’s in the first round and they understand that they lost to Oakland last year."

Kentucky off to great start under Pope

Mark Pope, on the other hand, is off to a strong start as Calipari's successor at Kentucky. The No. 9 Wildcats have started the 2024-25 season with wins against Wright State, Bucknell and No. 6 Duke.

Pope and Kentucky showed they are a force to be reckoned with against Duke, recording a 77-72 victory over the Blue Devils.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope talks to his players during their game against Bucknell. Photo: Imagn

Andrew Carr and Otega Oweh starred for the Wildcats in the statement win, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively. The Wildcats outscored Duke 40-26 in the second half as they came storming back from a nine-point halftime deficit.