Arkansas, John Calipari overcome boos to upset  No. 12 Kentucky Rupp Arena return

Heading into Saturday’s Arkansas–Kentucky matchup, some would have said the entrance of John Calipari may have been the most interesting part of the night. On paper, Kentucky is the better team and certainly was expected to win. Arkansas is just 1-6 in SEC play and struggled when facing higher competition.

Well, there is a reason the game is played. Arkansas went into Rupp Arena and pulled off an upset over the No. 12 team in the country, Kentucky. A result you could tell Razorback players wanted for their head coach, Calipari earns another win in Lexington — this one is just a little different.

Calipari came onto the court to boos, something he expected. When the Rupp Arena PA announcer said his name, the noise only grew louder. From the get-go, there was energy in the building and it never went away once the ball was tipped.

But it turned from a positive energy to nervous energy, and then major disappointment from Big Blue Nation. Once again, Kentucky’s defense was a big talking point as Arkansas had one of their best offensive performances of the season.

Entering Saturday night, Arkansas was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in college basketball. Their percentage of 32.5% ranked 259th in college basketball. Former Kentucky player Zvonimir Ivisic led the way with four makes from deep but as a team, Arkansas went 13-25.

The 89 points scored in the most the Razorbacks have put up against a power conference opponent this season too. A nonconference win against Michigan was at the top at 89. Every performance to surpass 90 points came against mid-majors.

Calipari will remember this night for a lot of reasons but the offensive performance likely will not be at the top. A ton of emotion was poured into this game, you could tell from just watching the Arkansas players react as they found success.

It’s one the head coach will celebrate with his team as they travel back to Fayetteville.

Looking bigger picture, Calipari might be hoping this is a win that can spark his team’s season. Arkansas is not currently in the NCAA Tournament discussion, being well on the wrong side of the bubble. A win against Kentucky can go a long way but other results will have to be produced as well.

Next up is a return home for a rivalry matchup against Texas. Kicking any potential hangover will be priority No. 1 heading into Wednesday night.