Since the Razorbacks were unleashed on the SEC back in 1992 by the commissioner with the express purpose of stepping up to the king of college basketball blue bloods and knocking the Wildcats down a few pegs, Hogs fans have always had one thing they could rely on to fire them up. Across the way most years would be some slick talking coach from the Northeast wearing fancy clothes leading a team Razorbacks fans were sure was only good because they were the best money could buy.
Arkansas played the role of everyone’s hero. They were the blue collar unstoppable force forged out of adversity, led by coaches who understood the power of sweet tea and corn bread rather than fine wines and oysters.
But, that’s not the case this time. There’s no Rick Pitino or John Calipari roaming the opposing sideline in suits that look like they cost twice as much as most Arkansans’ weekly paycheck.
Instead, it’s Kentucky that’s brought in someone who understands the local culture and seems to be tapping into a little more of a blue collar approach to the game built on the foundation of local pride. It’s Arkansas that comes in with the coach everyone sees as the villain they want to see fall.
It’s also no secret that it’s the Razorbacks who went out and broke the bank trying to buy a roster. They gave Calipari what he thought was enough to purchase a championship team and he even condensed the finances further by dividing it among a few players rather than an entire roster so each got a bit more cash to come to Fayetteville.
It’s a dynamic that has been overlooked up until this point because Arkansas fans want to win at a national championship level again so badly. It was perfection under Nolan Richardson, and even though NIL was involved, it felt comfortable under Eric Musselman when the Hogs knocked on the Final Four door in back-to-back seasons just a few years ago.
However, just like wearing an old ball cap in Sunday morning church services, it’s something others might be comfortable with elsewhere, but it just doesn’t feel right at Arkansas. The Razorbacks were never supposed to play the role of the bad guy.
Think about it just from the standpoint of one of the coaches getting thrown out. Arkansas fans aren’t going to lose their minds with delight if Mark Pope gets hot and is tossed from Rupp Arena Saturday.
However, Kentucky fans and all of America will rejoice if Calipari has to take the march of shame at some point. The people of this country always backed the Hogs in this game, but on Saturday only the people of Arkansas and maybe a handful of fans from whatever team is a spot or two behind the Wildcats in the standings will pull for the Razorbacks.
