"This is ridiculous": Chris 'Mad Dog' Russo calls Kentucky fans a "joke" for not giving a standing ovation to John Calipari

Arkansas coach John Calipari made his return to Kentucky, where he coached for 15 seasons, on Saturday. To the surprise of some, the veteran coach, who led the Wildcats to 12 NCAA tournaments, four Final Fours and a 2012 national championship, didn't receive a standing ovation at Rupp Arena.

Sports analyst Chris "Mad Dog" Russo had something to say about the lack of a warm welcome.

“How about the fans in Lexington, Kentucky, over the weekend when Arkansas came in with Calipari, and they didn’t give him a standing ovation? Are you kidding me?” Russo said on Wednesday morning’s "First Take" on ESPN.

“Calipari got to four Final Fours, won a championship, and they showed jeers to him when Arkansas walked in there on Saturday night. This is ridiculous. This guy did a hell of a job.”

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Calipari's unranked Razorbacks battled to pull out an 89-79 win over then-No. 12 Kentucky, which has since fallen to No. 14.

The former coach was booed as he first stepped on the court, but he wore a smile regardless. After the game, Calipari minimized the significance of facing his former team.

"We needed to win a game," Calipari said. "It doesn't matter who it was against."

Russo expressed his distaste for the way Kentucky fans treated Calipari in his return.

“Those Kentucky fans, that’s a joke. That tells you that’s sports unsophistication at the highest level,” Russo continued. “Not only that, they wanted him out. All right?

"So, they got him out, and he’s somewhere else and when he comes back, you can’t reward him with an ovation? That tells you that that is an unsophisticated sports fan sitting in Rupp Arena on Saturday night that the guy that helped you restore the program and won gets booed and jeered. I couldn’t believe it.”

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Some Kentucky fans cheer for John Calipari

It wasn't all negativity at Rupp Arena on Saturday night. Some fans clapped over the booing or showed off signs, including one that read "Welcome home Coach Cal." Despite the negative reactions from those in attendance of the Arkansas win, which Chris Russo disapproves of, there aren't any hard feelings on Calipari's part.

“I made it clear: It was a privilege and an honor to coach here," Calipari said. "We had 15 unbelievable years, a great run. Support. The fans supported us. The families that entrusted us with their sons.

"I got 190 texts by the time the game ended, and I’m guessing a bunch of them are former players. Not that they’re ever going to root against Kentucky. They went to school here. But they also have a relationship with me.”