The Big Lead

Kentucky doesn't seem to be missing John Calipari at all

By Max Weisman

Kentucky has fared better than Arkansas in the aftermath of the Calipari breakup
Kentucky has fared better than Arkansas in the aftermath of the Calipari breakup / Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
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The Kentucky Wildcats are playing in the toughest conference in College Basketball, and despite a first-year head coach they're excelling. Through 17 games the No. 8 Wildcats have a 14-3 record and are 3-1 in the SEC, which contains five Top-10 teams. They've won two straight games against Top-15 opponents, beating No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday and No. 11 Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

During Kentucky's 81-69 win Tuesday night, which extended their home win streak to 15 games, guard Otega Oweh sent Rupp Arena into a frenzy, rocking the rim with a nasty poster dunk on Texas A&M forward Pharrel Payne.

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Kentucky is faring much better than Arkansas so far this season, who are now being coached by former Kentucky head coach John Calipari. Calipari and Kentucky parted ways in April after 15 years. Kentucky had won only one NCAA Tournament game in Calipari's last four years in Lexington and suffered massive first-round upsets at the hands of a 15 and a 14 seed.

Now coaching in Fayetteville, Calipari has not had the start to his season he wanted. Despite being 11-6, the Razorbacks have lost all of their SEC games so far, dropping to the bottom of the conference with an 0-4 record. Arkansas entered the season ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll, but have now completely fallen out.

Mark Pope, Calipari's replacement, has Kentucky right where they've been in past seasons under Calipari: A Top-10 team and fighting for the top spot in the SEC standings. Pope is a Kentucky basketball alum, playing there from 1994-1996 and has kept the team where it's been in past years.

More tests are on the horizon for the Wildcats, though. They host No. 4 Alabama on Saturday and on Jan. 28 head to Knoxville for a showdown with No. 6 Tennessee. They've also yet to play No. 1 Auburn yet, two huge games against the Tigers coming in late February and early March. However, as long as Pope can get the Wildcats back to the Sweet 16 it would be hard not to consider his first season back in Lexington a success. There's still a long way to go, though.

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