A new era in Lexington has officially kicked off with Mark Pope now leading the charge as head coach of Kentucky Basketball.

Over the past few years, the downfall of Kentucky and former head coach John Calipari has been a tough one for some to accept.

Even Calipari has openly said it has been a hard adjustment at Arkansas and hates the way things ended between him and Big Blue Nation.

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd made the drive to Fayetteville and chatted with the newest Razorbacks head coach.

Calipari had no issues saying he knew BBN was unhappy and was glad to see him leave town.

“I think some people were happy,” the coach said of his departure from Kentucky. “[Some were saying], ‘We’ve had this guy 15 years and we’ve only won 500 games.’ [Actually 410] We only won one national title and four Final Fours and eight Elite Eights? What the hell is going on here?’”

It’s no secret a lot of Kentucky fans were upset that the Cats hadn’t been to a Final Four since 2015 and hadn’t been to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019.

It is clear there is some distaste from Calipari towards the fans, but he did state he has struggled with how everything ended in Lexington.

“The way it ended … I’ll just say, sucks.”

As a fan of Kentucky Basketball, it was hard to see the downfall of the program and Calipari after some of the greatest years of my life as a fan.

It is not only an adjustment for Calipari in Fayetteville but has also been one for the fans of the Cats.

No matter what you feel, Mark Pope is now the leader of the greatest men’s basketball program and has made it clear he’s ready for the challenge of ushering in a new era.