John Calipari after win in return to Kentucky: 'It was a privilege and an honor to coach here'

Arkansas head coach John Calipari had a happy return to Rupp Arena on Saturday, leading the Razorbacks past Kentucky and earning a critical road win in the SEC.

Calipari was asked after the game about the emotions of coaching at Kentucky on the opposing sideline after spending 15 seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats.

According to John Calipari, he has nothing but respect for the Kentucky basketball program and was simply happy to lead Arkansas to a win because it needed a victory, not because it gives him bragging rights over his former team.

“We needed to win a game, so it didn’t matter who it was against,” John Calipari said.

Arkansas was 1-6 in the SEC before upsetting Kentucky on Saturday, and the Razorbacks still have plenty of work to do to get into the NCAA Tournament conversation. That’s why the win for Arkansas was so big, not because Calipari beat Kentucky.

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

With the win over Kentucky, Arkansas is now 13-8 (2-6) on the year. The Razorbacks will play at Texas on Wednesday, looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since December.

It would be understandable if John Calipari was emotional after upsetting the Wildcats, but he insists his only emotion was celebrating because Arkansas won a game — any game.

“The only emotion I had was we’ve gotta win the game. … I was into the game. I was going play to play trying to drag us over the finish line,” he said.

John Calipari: Mark Pope was the right guy for Kentucky job

In addition to speaking about the big win for his Arkansas team, John Calipari also spoke about the man who replaced him as the head coach at Kentucky.

On Saturday, Calipari made his triumphant return to Rupp Arena, defeating Kentucky 89-79. It was a painful loss for many Kentucky fans, who were hungry to exact revenge on Calipari for leaving the program after initially saying he was returning for the 2024-25 season.

While Calipari could’ve easily gloated about the victory, he remained humble. After the game, Calipari praised first-year Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and the job he is doing.

“What Kentucky is doing, and how they’re doing it — Mark Pope is doing a great job. Not a good job. A great job,” Calipari said. “… Good team. Good shooting. Big kids are playing well. Mark’s done great. He was the right guy for the job.”

“Whether it was Kentucky, we just needed to win, so I can keep coaching. The hardest thing is you’re coaching them, you’re teaching, you’re bringing them together, they’ve got to feel some success to know that we’re on the right path.”