Arkansas coach John Calipari followed up his team’s impressive result against the No. 6 Louisville Cardinals last week with a blowout 82-58 win over the Fresno State Bulldogs on Sunday. The Razorbacks improved to 7-2 for the season as they continue to pick up momentum headed into SEC conference play.
On the other hand, Calipari’s former team, the Kentucky Wildcats under coach Mark Pope, were blown out by the Gonzaga Bulldogs to register their fourth loss of the season before conference play tips off.
Analyst Throws Jab at Kentucky Fans Using John Calipari’s Success
During Monday’s segment of the “CBS Sports College Basketball” podcast, analyst Jon Rothstein rubbed salt in Kentucky fans’ wounds while comparing the Wildcats’ situation vis-à-vis the success that Calipari is having at Arkansas.
“For the Kentucky fan out there right now, I wonder what it’s like to look up and evaluate the SEC and look at, objectively, who the two best teams are,” Rothstein said. “Nate Oats at Alabama, that doesn’t obviously twist the knife really. But John Calipari at Arkansas are clearly one of the top two teams.”
“Calipari, when he was at Kentucky, was always going to get the best players in the country, was always going to have a team that was in the mix to go far in the NCAA Tournament… If you’re a Kentucky fan right now, it’s gotta be a very proud day for Calipari knowing that it looks like he has the most complete team in the SEC in Arkansas.”
Calipari unexpectedly departed as Kentucky coach last year and took the Arkansas job, where he led the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a 22-14 record in his first season in charge.
On the other hand, Calipari’s successor, Pope, also led the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 and a 24-12 record during his first season in charge of the SEC and college basketball powerhouse.
After blowing out the Jackson State Tigers 115-61 on Nov. 21, Calipari raised eyebrows with his criticism, challenging his team to play better during his postgame news conference.
“Look, I’ve got a lot of work to do with this group,” Calipari said. “Last year, the culture at the end of the year was right where I wanted it. Right now, the culture is not there because guys are still trying to do what they choose to do. You have a choice. You do what we’re asking you to do.”
Calipari is not only changing the player’s culture at Arkansas, but after the win against Louisville last week, he even lectured the Razorbacks fans for their disrespectful chants during the game.
