John Calipari was the face of Kentucky Wildcats basketball for fifteen years, leading the program to national prominence. He built championship teams, sent players to the NBA, and shaped the team into a powerhouse.

Mark Pope has suffered his worst loss at Kentucky thus far. Pope’s No. 12-ranked Wildcats fell 89-79 at home to Arkansas Saturday afternoon — and it wasn’t an ordinary upset defeat. The contest marked Pope’s first meeting with former Kentucky head coach John Calipari, whom Pope replaced after Calipari left for Arkansas last April.

Rupp Arena was ready for a coronation, but John Calipari and Arkansas basketball spoiled the Kentucky fans' dreams Saturday night.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope is getting the job done against Tennessee. He's now 8-0 against the school, representing the Wildcats.

After Calipari's exit, Kentucky wasted no time and hired BYU head coach Mark Pope, who also played college basketball at Kentucky. Fast forward to February, and Pope is crushing it in his first season in Lexington. On Tuesday night, No. 15 Kentucky moved to 17-7 on the year and 6-5 in SC play with a 75-64 win over No. 5 Tennessee.

With Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson watching how it ended from the sidelines, Mark Pope saw the best of Kentucky basketball right before his eyes.