It’s starting to look like head coach John Calipari wasn’t the problem for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Calipari became the first coach in SEC history to win the conference tournament at two different programs after guiding the Arkansas Razorbacks to their first in 26 seasons on Sunday. The Razorbacks beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 86-75 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Wildcats still haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 2018, when Calipari was still the coach. The Florida Gators eliminated Kentucky in a 71-63 win in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal. The program has yet to reach the tournament’s semifinals in two seasons under HC Mark Pope.
Now that’s not to say Pope is doing a terrible job at Kentucky. In two seasons with the Wildcats, he has a solid 45-25 record. However, it shows the basketball blue blood isn’t better off without its former coach.
Kentucky still hasn’t solved its problems since John Calipari’s departure
Calipari left Kentucky for Arkansas after the Wildcats lost 80-76 to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Change was needed for both parties.
The Wildcats failed to advance past the second round of March Madness in their last three seasons under the coach. The program’s lofty expectations were clearly taxing for Calipari, who needed a more patient fan base to regain his mojo. He has found that in Arkansas, whose supporters care more about football than basketball, as is the case with most SEC schools.
Kentucky thought hiring Pope — who’s more attuned to analytics and the transfer portal — would immediately propel the program to its 18th Final Four trip. However, it may take longer than it thought.
The Wildcats reached the Sweet 16 in their first season under Pope, but so did the Razorbacks in their first season under Calipari.
This season, Kentucky has regressed. The Wildcats went 19-12 and 10-8 in SEC play during the regular season.
Even more concerning for the Wildcats is that they’re now losing recruiting battles in the SEC. Unsurprisingly, many players want to play for Calipari even when he’s not at a basketball school. 247Sports ranked Arkansas’ 2025 recruiting class as No. 1 in the SEC ahead of Kentucky.
NIL (name, image and likeness) shouldn’t be the issue for Kentucky. ESPN commentator Dick Vitale said the Wildcats spent $22M on their roster during an 84-77 home loss to the Florida Gators on March 7.
“I think in $22M, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do,” he said.
Pair the program’s inability to identify the right players with unrealistic expectations, and that may explain why it’s faltering. Calipari clearly wasn’t the problem, as he now has Arkansas in a better position.