Saturday’s game between Arkansas and No. 12 Kentucky played out like a Hollywood blockbuster.
When John Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas in April, the Razorbacks were picked by many as potential national championship contenders. Going into Saturday’s contest, however, Calipari and the Hogs had fallen short of those expectations, carrying an overall record of 12-8 and a conference record of 1-6 into Rupp Arena.
As the raucous Kentucky faithful soon found out, however, the records of Arkansas and the No. 12 ranked Wildcats were thrown out as soon as Calipari and Kentucky head coach Mark Pope walked into the building. Rather than getting run out of the gym, Arkansas held a one-point lead at halftime and led by as many as 14 with less than two minutes to play.
Arkansas took care of business in the final minute of play to secure an 89-79 win.
Stunningly, Calipari sent 23,000 members of Big Blue Nation to the exits early.
Arkansas won in large part due to the contributions of former Wildcats Zvonimir Ivisic, D.J. Wagner and Adou Thiero. The trio combined for 52 points in what is easily Calipari’s biggest win as the head coach at Arkansas. All 17 of Wagner’s points came in the second half.
Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis, who struggled early in the season, finally came alive. Davis scored 18 points on Saturday evening on 7-of-14 shooting.
Ironically, it was a former Razorback in Jaxson Robinson who led the charge for Kentucky. Robinson scored 20 points in the loss, though his two missed free throws with 1:06 left essentially ended any hope of a miraculous Kentucky comeback.
Time will tell whether or not the victory sets the Razorbacks (13-8, 2-6 SEC) on a path toward the NCAA Tournament, but the story of Calipari’s triumphant return to Kentucky will be told until the end of time.
