For a long time, the Kentucky Wildcats athletic programme has been successful on all levels.
Mark Stoops leads the Cats on the football pitch, while John Calipari leads the team on the basketball floor.
According to CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah, the Calipari/Stoops combination is one of the best in collegiate sports.
Lance Leipold and Bill Self, head coaches of the Kansas Jayhawks, are at the top of Jeyarajah’s list.
Calipari and Stoops of the Wildcats come in second place.
“The Wildcats have a strong claim to the top slot, but recent performances have pushed them down slightly. Stoops has lost in each of the last two SEC seasons, while Calipari has not advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend since 2019.
Nonetheless, the total resumes of these two coaches are impressive. Calipari has won a national championship and been to six Final Fours. Stoops has guided Kentucky to its most prolonged spell of success since the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant directed the programme. “His two 10-win seasons are the same as every other coach in UK history combined,” Jeyarajah noted.
The top five are Alabama’s Kalen Deboer/Nate Oats, North Carolina’s Mack Brown/Hubert Davis, and Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith/Tom Izzo.
As successful as the Cats have been, both Mark Stoops and John Calipari are in need of recent success.
Calipari has an opportunity to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament later this week.
