"They might kind of force John Calipari's hand": Penny Hardaway eyes revival of Memphis-Arkansas rivalry as Josh Pastner regrets ending the series

The rivalry between the Memphis Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks is one of the iconic battles, and coach John Calipari participated in it thrice during his nine-year stint coaching the Tigers. Coach Calipari was 1-2 against the Razorbacks before the matchups took a break after the 2002-03 season.

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway is hoping to revive the rivalry again now that Calipari is at Arkansas. When he took the job in April, Hardway said:

"I think we can finally get Cal to play us over at Arkansas," Hardaway said then, "because the Arkansas fans want the game. We couldn’t do it [when Calipari coached] at Kentucky. But I think because the Razorbacks want the rivalry back, they might kind of force his hand."

The conversation gains even more steam now as Calipari's then-successor at Memphis, Josh Pastner, is also hoping for the matchups again. Speaking on the "Hawgs Sports Network Daily Podcast" on Monday, he said:

"Maybe not everyone on the West Coast or the Northeast understands it. But Memphis-Arkansas is such a big rival. If I knew what I knew now, I would have extended the series. I should have extended it."

John Calipari was also asked about this in May during the Razorback Roadshow, and he said:

“We’ll see. I have fond memories of Memphis and my time there, so we’ll see how it all plays out.”

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John Calipari thanks Razorback fans for their support

When coach Calipari accepted his job in April after leaving Kentucky, the Razorback roster was down to none. He got to the task of rebuilding the program and has achieved it through portal additions and freshman recruits. However, despite the talented players on the team, the victories will be a slow process.

Regardless of this, the arrival of a Hall of Fame coach and top recruits has created much buzz among Razorback fans, and Calipari thanked them in a post on X.

"It appears that all of you Razorback Fans are just as excited as I am as you have already bought all the season tickets!! Let me say thank you for your belief in this group!" he wrote.

"Let me say this, what we look like at the beginning is not what we will look like at the end. Let’s all of us enjoy the growth of this team throughout the season so that we are all at our best in March."

What are your predictions for John Calipari and the Razorbacks? Let us know in the comments section below.