As the days from John Calipari’s last taste of success at Kentucky continued to grow further away, and the relationship between program and coach became toxic, it was clear that a separation was needed for both parties.

Last spring, Calipari elected to resign at Kentucky to take over the Arkansas basketball program, opening the door for Mark Pope to take the Kentucky job.

Thanks to Tyson Foods tycoon John Tyson and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Calipari had one of the highest NIL budgets in the country and brought in the third-best overall (including HS recruits and transfers) class, according to 247Sports.

Arkansas fans and personalities were quick to stick their chests out and display pompous attitudes. ESPN’s Seth Greenberg even called Calipari to make a Final Four in the next three seasons.

Now halfway through the season, that excitement and positivity is a far cry away.

0-5. That is the Razorbacks record in SEC play, the worst since they joined the conference in 1990. They are just one of four high-major programs still searching for their first conference win.

Hoops HQ’s Jeff Goodman has asked some of Calipari’s SEC peers to give their opinion on what has happened.

“They have a ton of individual talent,” one SEC coach told Goodman. “But none of their pieces fit. None of them.”

One of the biggest victims of this is Johnell Davis, who was considered to be a consensus top-five transfer. An AAC Player of the Year, looks like a shell of his former self, averaging just over eight points on the lowest shooting mark of his career (40.9%).

“He doesn’t play freely at all under Calipari,” said an opposing coach. “He doesn’t know where his shots are, so he looks skittish and lost.”

If the roster doesn’t fit, that falls on the staff and their evaluations. A staff that is largely made up of who Calipari had at Kentucky in recent years, directly bringing over Chin Coleman and Chuck Martin, and welcoming back Kenny Payne and his son, Calipari.

In one SEC coach’s words, “they all do the same thing.”

“They don’t have anyone innovative, they are outdated in how they do things,” said another.

Once one of the most feared coaches in the sport, especially on the recruiting trail, no longer strikes the same response in his opponents.

In what be the most daming quote from an anonymous SEC coach: “There’s just no fear now when I see him on the other sideline. The game has changed and he is becoming archaic.”

Goodman’s full article can be read here on Hoops HQ.

“You should get lost in your team and the journey.”

That is the message that Seth Greenberg had to Kentucky fans on Saturday, suggesting that they are more worried about John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks than they are about their own team.

My take on @KentuckyMBB I have a ton of respect for Coach Pope and a the job he is doing. I appreciate the passion and ownership of the REAL @KentuckyMBB fans. You should get lost in your team and the journey. pic.twitter.com/jryAQADvDL— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) January 19, 2025

This isn’t the first time that Greenberg, a close friend of Calipari, has criticized Kentucky fans since Calipari’s departure. When the move was first announced last spring, he called the support system “suffocating.” To be fair, that was probably true due to the lack of postseason success.

“It is suffocating when you have your support system isn’t on the same page,” Greenberg said. “Coaching’s hard enough, but when your support system is pulling in another direction that becomes a problem.”

Kentucky fans are more than focused on their team, which in Mark Pope’s first season is ranked in the top 10 with five top 15 wins. That said, to ask them to completely ignore the Coach who had led them for the previous fifteen seasons, both good and bad, is not realistic.

Comparing what you have, to what you had is a natural human trait. With time, that desire to compare will dissipate and Calipari will be welcomed back into the good graces of Kentucky fans.

While many of the Big Blue Nation are enthralled with the change in pace and perspective that this year’s veteran-heavy team have provided, most can’t help but excitedly look on to what Mark Pope is building for next season, too.

Despite having only secured three recruits thus far, Kentucky already has a top five freshman class for the 2025-26′ season, according to 247Sports. And Coach Pope and company aren’t done yet.

The long-rumored cherry on top, if you will, for the upcoming class has been five-star power forward Caleb Wilson, out of Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA.

Wilson, who is widely recognized to be down to Kentucky and North Carolina at this point in his recruitment, has long been tied to Mark Pope’s new regime since he began assembling it last year.

Big Blue Dominos

First came four-star, 6’10 center Malachi Moreno, a hometown recruit and a local favorite. Then came five-star, “I’m KY ’til I die” guard Jasper Johnson, who’s commitment to Kentucky felt like a comeback win for Pope after Alabama had been heavily favored to land him for much of the recruitment race.

The latest and last of which was Acaden Lewis; a four-star guard set to run with Johnson in the backcourt, who cited Coach Pope’s authenticity as a primary reason for his decision.

In the new age of UK basketball in which the one-and-done philosophy of old is far less prevalent, Wilson is seen as the potential final piece of Mark Pope’s puzzle for next season. He’d fit perfectly as a physical presence in the paint next to Moreno, possessing breakout athletic ability and a clear knowledge of the game.

Four highly-touted recruits, on top of multiple expected/possible returners and transfer portal options, would strike a balance between weathered experience and raw talent unlike anything Kentucky has seen in years.

So what’s the deal with Wilson, then? Well, the good news is a commitment is generally anticipated within the month.

The not-so-good news, though not exactly bad either, is that his outlook is muddier than ever.

“Ask Again Later”

While there are no official predictions via the 247Sports Crystal Ball, multiple insiders are touting differing opinions. Anecdotes scattered throughout the last few months from various sources all seemed to point to Kentucky. That is, until Travis Branham, of 247Sports, said that he believes UNC has taken the lead just earlier this week.

Yet Joe Tipton, almost in unison with Branham, declared the opposite, “Everything I’ve heard suggests UK is in the driver’s seat,” he said on “Here Comes the Boom.”

Both Tipton and Branham are reputable reporters with evidenced pasts, and they aren’t alone on either end of this split. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and in this case, it seems to be coming from both sides.

As it usually goes with these kinds of things, all the Kentucky faithful can really do is hurry up and wait. Either way, what Mark Pope is done in less than one year at Kentucky is mightily impressive, and even being in the conversation for Wilson at this stage is encouraging.

Let’s just hope he goes for the darker blue cap on commitment day.