John Calipari has officially returned to Rupp Arena as a visiting head coach, bringing Arkansas into Saturday night’s matchup vs. Kentucky.
It is the first game for Calipari as a visiting head coach since leaving the Wildcats after 15 seasons to take the job in Fayetteville. And, as expected, the head coach was booed as the head coach of the visiting team on Saturday.
Here’s how he made his entrance into the arena to a chorus of boos:
RELATED: Be sure to use our KY sports betting apps for all things Wildcats throughout the season.
In all fairness, the reaction was a bit more timid and mixed upon Calipari arriving on the floor. The boos were loud and heard but there were some cheers scattered throughout in recognition of his contributions to the Wildcats. Calipari was also seen connecting with previous acquaintances near the court, many even smiling and issuing friendly welcomes to the head coach.
The lineup introductions were a different story. The former Kentucky players on the Arkansas roster each drew a round of boos and the boos for Calipari’s introduction were especially loud at that point.
After that, it was time to get the game off and running, and it was a fast-paced and smooth-flowing start to the action. Kentucky made its first 6 shots of the game and 7 of its first 10 shots (4-for-4 from 3-point range) in racing out to an 18-12 lead before Calipari called a timeout.
We’ll see how the rest of the game goes, but it is so far an electric atmosphere with fast-paced action on the court.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
