Kentucky basketball holds on to beat Arkansas, John Calipari on road

FAYETTEVILLE, AR — As if concocted by a screenwriter, Mark Pope and John Calipari entered Saturday with the same overall record — 38-19 — in Year 2 at their respective schools: Kentucky basketball for the former, Arkansas for the latter.

If Saturday’s game was supposed to be a duel of sorts, pushing one coach an ever-so-slight step in front of the other, onlookers got everything they bargained for.

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Despite being down a trio of players who once were starters, it wasn’t as if the Wildcats brought a knife to a gunfight. For much of the game, they exerted their will and inflicted their share of damage. In the end, they drew enough blood to fell the Razorbacks’ sharpshooters.

After jumping out to an early lead and taking a 42-35 advantage into intermission, Kentucky held on in the second half, earning an 85-77 victory at Bud Walton Arena.

Last season’s game in Lexington was one of the marquee matchups on the college basketball calendar, with Calipari visiting Rupp Arena as an opposing coach for the first time in more than three decades. (Calipari’s UMass club lost, 90-69, to a Rick Pitino-led UK squad on Dec. 4, 1991.) That the Razorbacks won on the road last season was unexpected; they entered just 1-6 in SEC play, while the Wildcats were No. 12 in both the USA TODAY Coaches and the Associated Press Top 25 polls.

Saturday’s result was almost equally out of the blue for Kentucky (15-7, 6-3 SEC). It entered as a decided underdog. And it was fresh off a one-sided loss at Vanderbilt five days earlier. But every time Arkansas (16-6, 6-3) made a push Saturday, UK answered right back.

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And for as much emotion as last season’s game wrought given Calipari’s past with the Wildcats, Saturday arguably was more heated on the court. The contest featured officials assessing both clubs multiple technical fouls.

This story will be updated.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and…

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Publish date : 2026-02-01 01:58:00

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