Saturday marks two weeks since John Calipari’s return to Rupp Arena. It feels like most fans have moved past Kentucky’s loss to Arkansas (the win over Tennessee certainly helped), but on Monday night,

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.

The end of the John Calipari era at Kentucky opened an opportunity for Mark Pope to return to the school he played for. It was an opportunity he jumped on, and he now leads the Wildcats even if from a distance he had been surprised to see a situation where Calipari would leave for Arkansas.