The game Kentucky fans have had circled since the SEC released its league basketball schedule this summer looms on Saturday.
If you asked Big Blue Nation, it's the biggest game of the season as John Calipari returns to Rupp Arena with several former UK players and signees wearing the enemy red of Arkansas.
If you asked new UK head coach Mark Pope, it's the biggest game of the season because the No. 12 Wildcats (15-5, 4-3 SEC) need to keep the momentum rolling from Tuesday's impressive 78-73 win over No. 8 Tennessee.
Arkansas might be limping in with a disappointing 12-8 record and a 1-6 mark in SEC play, but Calipari's teams often play best with their backs to the wall or something to prove.
"At the end of the day, we have serious work to do," Pope said during this Thursday press conference at the Craft Center. "This league is brilliant and wonderful and incredibly competitive. Every single team can win every single night. Everybody's dealing with dynamics on their roster and injuries and fatigue and frustration and growth and just trying to make it through and position themselves in the best place they possibly can for the SEC Tournament and to make a run in the postseason.
"That's what consumes most of our time."
That emphasis was important. Pope knows how much this particular game means to his fans.
Calipari held his position from 2010-24, winning 410 games over 15 seasons with a national championship in 2012 and Final Four appearances in 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015.
His sudden heel-turn and defection to a league rival shook the college basketball world last spring and left a sour taste in some UK fans' mouths. One of the big talking points both locally and nationally this week has been what kind of reception should Calipari receive during his return to Rupp Arena.
Rick Pitino, who was loudly booed at Rupp Arena when he returned as the head coach of the rival Louisville Cardinals in December of 2001 after a stint in the NBA, even chimed in from his office at St. John's, asking UK fans to keep it "classy" and to be "respectful" of what Calipari brought to Lexington.
Pope stopped short of counseling Big Blue Nation on its reaction Saturday, stating all of this is part of what makes Kentucky special.
"I love the drama," he said. "I think it's, you know, Kentucky. Right? It follows us in everything we do. That's one of the beautiful things about getting to play here and coach here and to be associated with this program -- we care, and people feel how much we care.
"I love that people are interested in what's happening here. It's always been that way, and I assume it always will. These moments in time are just fun for fans and fun to capture. They can be super-dramatic, and I think that's great. It's something to write about and talk about and enjoy and celebrate."
Pope did however, express his respect for Calipari, who he says has been a mentor to him.
"On a personal level, I love competing against people that I admire and look up to and love, and Cal is certainly one of those people," he said. "He's a Hall of Fame coach, he's a legend in this sport, and he's re-written the book on how things are done. He's one of the best that there ever was, and he's also got an unbelievable legacy here at the University of Kentucky."
In some ways, it has the feel of a spirited pickup game in the family driveway.
"There's nobody you love to compete against more than your brother, somebody in the family or tied to you," Pope said. "... You're searching for bragging rights and all the things that come with it. All the drama and emotion that comes with it makes it really special."
