Contrast that success with Calipari’s first Arkansas team, which needed six tries to notch its first SEC win of the year, and Kentucky fans figure to have plenty of ammunition Saturday. The Razorbacks are just 12-8 overall, and their 1-6 start to SEC play has them looking like a long shot for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Ignore the hype. Ignore the noise. Ignore the circus that is sure to surround the return of John Vincent Calipari, who in a 15-year run as the UK coach took the Wildcats to four Final Fours and a national championship before his Big Blue express ran out of steam.

There was once a time where John Calipari's return to Rupp Arena on Feb. 1 was thought of as a game that would rival college basketball's greatest regular-season games ever. With a few days remaining until tipoff,

For Kentucky, the game before The Game was a tough one on paper — a Tuesday night road contest against Rick Barnes' Tennessee Vols, who were ranked No. 1 in the country just a few weeks ago and listed as 10.

The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN. Fans looking to watch this college basketball game can do so by using FuboTV, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, or DirecTV Stream, which also offers a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but does have other promotional offers available.

Tennessee basketball attempted 45 3-pointers against Kentucky, the most in the Rick Barnes era. It made only 11 in the 78-73 loss.