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“They don’t have anyone innovative, they are outdated in how they do things,” said another.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

Kentucky came into this game looking to pick up another Top 25 win, however, Alabama had a different idea.

The Alabama duo of Mark Sears and Grant Nelson just proved to be too much for the Wildcats to handle. Alabama’s duo led them to a 102-97 victory and handed Kentucky the first loss in Rupp Arena of the Mark Pope era.

Mark Sears finished the game with 24 points and 9 assists while Grant Nelson finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds of his own.

Grant Nelson came out scorching hot having 12 points in the first 10 minutes and it just didn’t seem like Kentucky had much of an answer early. Nelson managed to put up 19 points in the first half alone.

The second half was all Mark Sears. Sears started the game slow, but exploded in the 2nd half. He kept knocking down big shot after big shot right when it seemed like Kentucky was going to take over the lead.

Otega Oweh Monster Game

On the Kentucky side, they were led in scoring by Junior Otega Oweh. Oweh finished with 21 points all while shooting an impressive 8-14 from the field.

Lamont Butler also finished with a huge game all while playing through a left shoulder injury. Butler ended the game with 17 points 8 assists and 4 rebounds while also coming up with some huge defensive plays to keep Kentucky in the game.

Even with these respective performances from Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler, Kentucky just couldn’t take the lead and hold onto it. Alabama seemed to hit clutch shot after clutch shot and done just enough to stay ahead of the Cats and pick up a huge road win.

Kentucky ‘Bye Week’

Kentucky will not return to action until next Saturday, January, 25th when they look to rebound on the road vs Vanderbilt. This bye week is coming at the perfect time for Kentucky. They have had some tough injury luck this season as we have seen Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, and Brandon Garrison all either play through injuries or miss games so far this season.

Pope said this bye week will be a huge one as the team looks to get healthy and stay healthy, for the remainder of their SEC schedule.