“What he accomplished at the University of Kentucky was incredible.”

This weekend is a huge weekend in college basketball. With plenty of big-time games, none are bigger than the matchup in Lexington between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Typically a huge game in its own right, this year brings a new flare as John Calipari returns to Lexington for the first time. A topic of conversation across the college basketball world, the question made it’s way to Mark Pope on Wednesday evening during his weekly radio show about Coach Cal’s return.

“Listen, we have been blessed at the University of Kentucky to have some of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game of basketball. Certainly, Cal is one of those,” Pope said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach in his 15-year tenure.

“What he accomplished at the University of Kentucky was incredible. He…in some ways, he revolutionized the game of college basketball. He’s left a legacy that probably won’t be ever reproduced in the same way that he did it.

“As a member of BBN and a huge fan of Kentucky basketball, my whole heart is here. I love Cal, I love Cal for what he did for Kentucky basketball, and on a very personal level, he’s been…to Lee Anne and I, so good as a mentor and a friend.”

He also thinks that the day will come when we are all celebrating Coach Cal in Lexington, but Saturday is about winning a basketball game. He is completely right on both of those thoughts.

“As time goes on and circumstances change, there’s gonna be a time when Cal walks back into this arena, and he is gonna feel all of the love that BBN possibly has to offer, because that’s what we do with our family,” Pope said. “We’ll see Saturday. Saturday is gonna be…it’s also a competition, right? It’s just going to be what it is, but I have a ton of love for Cal and I’m grateful for what he did here at Kentucky.

“I’m grateful that I get to be here and enjoy some of the fruits of his incredible labors here. I was super appreciative of him, and I know everybody in BBN feels the same way, even though I also know everybody in BBN wants to win this game on Saturday.”

Going to be a wild Saturday.