Kentucky basketball might have a new coach next April

Because John Calipari and Kentucky arranged a divorce before Cal went to Arkansas, the status of Kentucky basketball contains natural intrigue for Arkansas fans. The Kentucky-Arkansas comparison is an unavoidable hot topic for both fan bases. It's clear Arkansas got the better of the Calipari-Mark Pope exchange. 

Kentucky got thumped by Kansas on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic. The beatdown was so comprehensive that Pope, who needs to make the Sweet 16 this season at Kentucky to feel relatively safe on the job, is already in deep trouble. A week and a half into the season, it seems unlikely that the Wildcats are going to come anywhere close to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. It's one thing to lose to a quality opponent. It's quite another thing to not be particularly competitive. Everyone who follows college basketball, not just in the SEC but on a national level, knows Mark Pope can't absorb many more of these embarrassments. No one gets hired to be Kentucky head coach and become a No. 7 seed which loses on the first weekend of March Madness. Yet, that's what Mark Pope did last season. That's where Kentucky already seems to be headed. Pope will not be able to survive into next season if something big doesn't change.

The mess at Kentucky, which is great news for Arkansas fans, contains layers. While Mark Pope's actual coaching acumen is easy to question, the bigger problem is that Pope just hasn't been able to assemble elite rosters. He has whiffed in the transfer portal and in high school recruiting. John Calipari is not a portal demon, but his high school recruiting remains second to none in the industry. Seeing Kentucky be second-best by a large margin against Kansas, the emerging consensus from the experts is that the Wildcats just can't match up at each of the five spots on the floor. A few players can rise above this team's limitations occasionally, but not all the time. The lack of elite depth and versatility showed against Kansas. Kentucky just won't be able to keep pace over the course of the season. UK might have its share of good moments, but it won't be able to win consistently enough to be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas, as a simple point of comparison, appears to have a lot more natural talent than Kentucky. As long as the freshmen learn how to play and evolve steadily over the course of the season, the Hogs should be in much better shape than the Cats in March.

In April, Mark Pope will probably be looking for a new job.