Hot Take Artists are the only ones Comparing John Calipari and Kentucky in March

Kentucky basketball is back in the Sweet 16. Big Blue Nation gets another week to enjoy March Madness and so far it has been an enjoyable and cathartic experience.

“Cathartic” is the proper word to use because what was once a norm has been absent since 2019. John Calipari only had one SEC Tournament win and one NCAA Tournament during that five-year stretch. Kentucky fans were starving for postseason success and Mark Pope delivered, something Calipari could not do.

That should be the end of the conversation about Calipari and Kentucky. Others must take it a step further.

Calipari is doing at Arkansas what we saw happen so many times at Kentucky. He has the Hogs playing their best ball in March and the No. 10 seed got a couple of favorable matchups to open NCAA Tournament play.

There were a few fans who saw him beat St. John’s and felt that put more pressure on Pope to make it to the Sweet 16. As if he needed an outside influence to motivate him to win an NCAA Tournament game.

The Hot Take artists have jumped in on the low-hanging fruit too. Andy Staples asked Paul Finebaum how psychologically damaging it would be too Big Blue Nation if Calipari advanced further than the Cats in the NCAA tournament.

“It’s already been a colossal disaster for Big Blue Nation because they didn’t even want Cal to even get in the tournament, let alone, get where they are,” said Finebaum.

“Winning Sunday for Mark Pope was significant, but there’s a lot going on there. I know schadenfreude is a big word, but this is a boomerang on them. In mid-January, Cal had no chance of making the field and Kentucky was feeling pretty good, then he goes over there and wins that game.”

Calipari won that game in mid-January. That was an agonizing defeat for Big Blue Nation. The St. John’s loss? That’s for a few angry folks online to toil over. Meanwhile, most of the Kentucky fanbase is just happy that he’s coaching elsewhere as Mark Pope guides the program into a new era through the NCAA Tournament.

Calipari Scoffs at Comps to Kentucky

Dan Patrick is not a Hot Take artist. He’s been in the business for a long time and is on the verge of ending his prolific broadcasting career. Patrick and Calipari have had a great relationship over the years, which is why it’s no surprise that the Head Hog was on today’s show, or that Patrick was willing to chum the waters a bit by asking, “You gotta go further than Kentucky, don’t ya?”

“No, not worried about them,” Calipari said. “What’s happened for us, this season has been the most rewarding season. I’ve had seasons where we won more games and won national titles and Final Fours and Elite Eights — I’ve had all those. But what this team has been through to survive it, it’s been as rewarding as any season.”

Calipari’s season has been rewarding because success was unexpected after great adversity. When it ends, it will hurt. Just as it will be painful for Kentucky fans when the Wildcats eventually bow out. That’s the nature of the NCAA Tournament. You’re riding an emotional roller coaster that you don’t ever want to end. During Calipari’s final five years at Kentucky, that ride never even got started. That’s the only reason why Kentucky’s last coach needs to be mentioned during this successful ride with the Wildcats.

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