John Calipari shares first reaction to Rupp Arena return with Arkansas
By Paul Harvey
Published:
John Calipari and Arkansas have made the highly anticipated trek to Rupp Arena where they will face Kentucky on Saturday night. It is bound to be must-see TV as the head coach makes his first appearance as a visiting head coach since leaving the Wildcats in the offseason.
It has been far from a smooth transition for Calipari with his Razorbacks just 1-6 in SEC play. Further complicating matters, star point guard Boogie Fland is out for the season while Kentucky enters the weekend ranked 12th nationally under Mark Pope.
On Friday, Arkansas shared a video of Calipari addressing his new team inside Rupp Arena and discussing his feelings upon returning. The head coach claims he has been entirely focused on making sure his guys are right and gave them a challenge for the game tomorrow.
“Guys, I’ve been so locked into making sure you guys are right, you know,” said Calipari. “I mean, there will be some emotion, I’m going to walk in this building, we’ve had some great wins here. But I want to do the same thing at Arkansas…
“Here’s my point to you guys: Fearless tomorrow. Fearless tomorrow, because that’s how I’m coaching.”
Even if Calipari coaches “fearless,” Arkansas is still an 11.5-point underdog on the road per DraftKings. It will take a special effort to pull off the upset in his homecoming, and fans can use any of the KY sports betting apps to get in on the action.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
