For Mark Pope and Kentucky, this season has been nothing short of embarrassing. The Wildcats rolled into the year with a $22-million roster, built to dominate, built to matter again. But reality hit fast. Their only ranked wins? One over Tennessee, who no longer sits in the Top 25, and another against St. John’s, clinging to No. 25 by a thread. Not exactly the blueprint of a contender.

And just when you think things cannot get any tougher, they do. Pope’s next game is against the coach he replaced at Kentucky.

Yes, next up is Kentucky vs No. 15 Arkansas, and John Calipari has nothing but praise for his replacement in Lexington. “What I would say is it’s the next game, and we’re in a different position. We kind of flipped the switch. Like last year we went to play them and we got them pretty good, but we were one and six,” coach Cal said. “We needed to beat somebody and now the only significance of the game to me is we need to keep winning because let’s stay pace with what’s going on and people around us.”

Last year, Arkansas came to Lexington to face the then No. 12 Wildcats in the first meeting since Coach Cal left Kentucky. Mark Pope’s side were clear favorites, as John Calipari’s side were sitting at 1–6 in conference play, with nobody giving them a chance. But the Razorbacks ended up winning the game, and Coach Cal reminded everyone he was still one of the best in the business.

This time around, the roles are reversed. Kentucky are the ones struggling with a 14–7 overall record and a 5–3 mark in the SEC, while Arkansas are having a strong season at 16–5 overall and 6–2 in the SEC. And despite that, Coach Cal has nothing but praise for Coach Pope.

“Mark Pope is doing a great job,” John Calipari said after beating Oklahoma 83-79. “For them to struggle like they did, and now they are playing better. He’s the right man for the job.”

Credit to Mark Pope, the Wildcats did put together a five-game winning streak after losing to Alabama and Missouri. But their last outing was a disaster against Vanderbilt. Kentucky shot just 32 percent from the field, got outrebounded 43–37, conceded 28 points off 15 turnovers and ended up losing 80–55 to the Commodores.

This was not LSU or Tennessee, teams that Kentucky managed to come back against. This was Vanderbilt, a mistake-free, fast-paced and highly efficient group. Every time Kentucky threw a punch, Vanderbilt hit right back. The Commodores came in as the SEC’s best free-throw shooting team and went 16-of-19 at the line in the second half. They led by as many as 28 and walked out of Memorial Gym with their biggest win over Kentucky since 2008.

Mark Pope knows he needs to make adjustments quickly, and what better way to do that than by beating Arkansas? The problem is, it will not be easy.

The One Thing Mark Pope Must Fix to Beat Arkansas

Arkansas will clearly be the favorite when Saturday rolls around, but Calipari’s history has shown that an underdog can still steal a win in this matchup. Kentucky is still inside the projected NCAA Tournament field, according to ClutchPoints, but they’re sitting as a middle seed in that bracket. That no man’s land spot isn’t doing them any favors, especially with all the injuries they’re battling.

Jayden Quaintance sat out his sixth game in a row against Vanderbilt because of swelling in his surgically repaired knee. He joined junior point guard Jaland Lowe on the Wildcats’ injury list, with Lowe already done for the season after a right shoulder injury. Kam Williams is also sidelined with a broken foot and is out for the foreseeable future.

Without three key players, any program is bound to suffer, not just Kentucky. Coach Mark Pope knows his side will need to improve in one key area if they are to win more games. According to statistician Corey Price, Kentucky under Mark Pope trailed by at least 15 points at halftime in 22.5% of their games against Power Four teams and Gonzaga (9 of 40).

If the Wildcats want to beat Arkansas, it is imperative that they start well and avoid putting themselves in a constant comeback situation. Can Coach Pope pull that off with a short-handed roster? We are about to find out.