A potential Kentucky vs. Arkansas Final Four clash could rival some of the sport’s greatest showdowns.
In a recent ESPN article, college basketball insider Myron Medcalf offered an eye-catching prediction for the 2025 NCAA Tournament: John Calipari and Arkansas could meet the Kentucky Wildcats in the Final Four.
Medcalf pointed to Arkansas’s Sweet 16 run last season and the arrival of 5-star guard Darius Acuff as a major reason for the Razorbacks’ optimism. With a more experienced and deeper squad than last year, Arkansas is already being seen as a serious contender to make a deep tournament run, and possibly face Calipari’s old team on college basketball’s biggest stage.
As for Kentucky, Medcalf acknowledged the Wildcats may need time to find their rhythm early in the season, but said they could be one of the most talented teams in the country by March. Much of that depends on the health of freshman phenom Jayden Quaintance, who Medcalf sees as a key to Kentucky’s ceiling.
The potential storyline of John Calipari going head-to-head with Mark Pope and Big Blue Nation would be one of the most dramatic and emotional matchups in recent NCAA Tournament memory. It could draw comparisons to Kentucky’s 2012 Final Four showdown with in-state rival Louisville, with it being a tension-filled game as the Wildcats won before cutting down the nets against Kansas in the National Championship to secure banner No. 8.
Medcalf’s take may be bold, but it could happen if both teams live up to their expectations this season.