John Calipari visualizes walking out of tunnel ahead of Rupp Arena return

John Calipari visualized his walk out of the tunnel at Rupp Arena many times, but it’ll be as the opposing head coach Saturday night. Arkansas takes on Kentucky at 9:00 p.m. ET and Calipari expects a mixed reaction.

There will be a wave of emotions for the Razorbacks head coach following 15 years with the Wildcats. It’s just another basketball game though.

Or at least, that’s what he’s trying to tell himself it seems.

“(There will) be a rush of emotions,” Calipari said. “I hope I’m not looking into the seats, because I’m going to have some people that are friends that then you get emotional, and I don’t want to get emotional. But this was 15 years of both Ellen and I. She was like a mother to these kids. The brownies that (she did for birthdays) … So you know, in 15 years of my life, where you give everything, and not only to basketball. Like I said, I don’t want to just be known … what, do I want my record on my tombstone? 

“You know? I mean, it’s, are you a good man? Do you care about people? And I’m a poor, miserable sinner. (There’s a reason I go to mass downtown). But I have been blessed my entire life.”

Calipari went 410-123 overall at Kentucky, winning the national title back in 2012. He also made the Final Four three other times, including getting back to the national title game in 2014.

Currently, he’s 12-8 at Arkansas during his first year and has certainly taken the highs and lows with the job.

To replace him at Kentucky, the Wildcats turned to Mark Pope, who has quickly become a fan favorite among Wildcats fans. That’s largely because of the success he’s had early on, leading Kentucky to a 15-5 record overall and a 4-3 record in the highly competitive SEC.

“They’re playing good,” Calipari said. “We’ve got our hands full and let’s see what happens. They’re a good team. Mark [Pope] is doing a good job with them. So, we’ve just got to keep going. Keep fighting. Keep figuring this out. What does this team look like? What do we have to play like?”

What does Calipari’s team have to play like? Well, they have to match the Wildcats for one, especially at Rupp Arena. There will be a lot of emotions from the coach and teams involved.