Calipari’s return brings a devastating defeat, and UK WBB faces Oklahoma

What can you say about that game last night?

The Kentucky Wildcats had arguably their worst loss of the season, playing at home in John Calipari’s return to Rupp Arena against an Arkansas team that came in 1-6 in conference play.

Kentucky allowed the Arkansas team, which averaged less than 65 points per game in conference play, to score 89 points while shooting 55 percent from the field and 52 percent from deep.

Kentucky started the game strong, making their first six shots from the field, and trailed by one at the half, but Kentucky came out flat in the second half, and Arkansas took advantage.

There’s simply no excuse for that kind of performance from the Wildcats, especially at home in one of the best Rupp Arena environments in quite some time.

That loss was tough for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, losing to John Calipari after he left is brutal on its own. Add in that, barring a significant turnaround, this Arkansas team probably won’t make the NCAA Tournament, and it just compounds the misery.

Secondly, that loss really hurts Kentucky in the SEC standings. Kentucky entered at 4-3 in the conference and was a double-digit favorite to win last night’s game. Now at 4-4, Kentucky is tied for 8th in the conference with a road game at Ole Miss coming up on Tuesday.

Kentucky has some real soul-searching to do. With last night’s loss, that’s three losses in the last four games for the Wildcats, and they’ll head into a hostile environment in Oxford Tuesday night against a Rebels squad desperate for a big-time win.

As for the UK Women’s team, Coach Kenny Brooks and his squad have a chance for a big-time win today as they go on the road to take on 13th-ranked Oklahoma.

Oklahoma went on the road and took LSU down to the wire Thursday night, falling 107-100.

Kentucky has a lot of big games down the stretch, with 5 of the last 8 games being against ranked opponents. Going on the road will be tough, but it could be Kentucky’s biggest win of the season so far if they can pull it out.