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John Calipari admits hilarious Kentucky-related mistake: 'I looked up a couple times and thought we were losing'

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh02/02/25griffin_mcveigh
NCAA Basketball: Arkansas at Kentucky
Feb 1, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari stands on the court before the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

John Calipari might know better than anyone how difficult beating Kentucky inside Rupp Arena is. He was on the winning side plenty of times throughout his career. However, on Saturday, he was the one playing spoiler and pulled through to pull off the road upset.

At different points of the game, Calipari actually still thought he was still playing at home. During his postgame press conference, he would look up at the scoreboard and see Arkansas with the lead and Kentucky down. In his mind, it means there was still work to be done before realizing he was now a Razorback.

Former UK player Adou Thiero did the same thing.

“It’s not easy to win here,” Calipari said. “I looked up a couple of times and I thought we were losing because I looked at Kentucky and not Arkansas. Adou [Thiero] did the same thing.”

You cannot blame Calipari for the mistake. After all, he spent 15 seasons calling Rupp Arena home. Every time he was looking for the score, “Kentucky” was the main focus. Being in the heat of battle probably did not give him a second to think until realizing he was now with Arkansas.

Familiarity was also going to be a huge storyline of this game. Turns out, it played tricks on Calipari’s mind on multiple occasions. Now, it’s something hilarious for the Arkansas head coach to discuss as his team walks out of the building as winners.

Arkansas enjoys offensive outburst, beats Kentucky

Once again, Kentucky’s defense was a big talking point as Arkansas had one of their best offensive performances of the season.

Entering Saturday night, Arkansas was one of the worst three-point shooting teams in college basketball. Their percentage of 32.5% ranked 259th in college basketball. Zvonimir Ivišić led the way with four makes from deep but as a team, Arkansas went 13-25.

The 89 points scored in the most the Razorbacks have put up against a power conference opponent this season too. A nonconference win against Michigan was at the top at 89. Every performance to surpass 90 points came against mid-majors.

Looking bigger picture, Calipari might be hoping this is a win that can spark his team’s season. Arkansas is not currently in the NCAA Tournament discussion, being well on the wrong side of the bubble. A win against Kentucky can go a long way but other results will have to be produced as well.