Rick Pitino returned to Rupp Arena to face UK in 2001. John Calipari will face Kentucky basketball in Lexington next. How will his experience compare?

Kentucky men’s basketball fans have a difficult decision ahead of them on Saturday evening when former coach John Calipari makes his grand return to Rupp Arena with Arkansas. To boo or not to boo, that is the question.

The hype surrounding Calipari’s return, capped by Lexington mayor Linda Gorton naming the days leading to the game ‘Basketball Week’ to highlight Saturday’s contest and other local games, is palpable in Kentucky — “What’s more Lexington than basketball?” Gorton said in a statement.

Rick Pitino knows a thing or two about leaving Kentucky -- and returning. And now with John Calipari set to return to Rupp Arena with Arkansas on Saturday night (9 p.m., ESPN), the St. John’s coach has some advice on how Big Blue Nation should treat their former coach.

John Calipari wants his Arkansas basketball players who transferred from Kentucky to stay 'calm in the storm' inside Rupp Arena this weekend.

John Calipari won more than 400 games during his 15 seasons leading Kentucky basketball. Many of those wins came in Lexington. These five stand out.

John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks visit Kentucky, where he spent 15 seasons and won a national title, on Saturday.

As Arkansas basketball's John Calipari comes back to Kentucky, Rick Pitino has a message.

Calipari went for a walk with a priest and decided to move on from Kentucky to Arkansas. Somewhere in that version, Johnny Tyson got involved and made a two-year commitment to part of Calipari’s $7.5 million annual contract, which is for five years.

John Calipari is not playing down his much-hyped return to the Bluegrass State and Kentucky’s Rupp Arena on Saturday night.

John Calipari will bring his struggling Arkansas team to Lexington, his first time coaching against Kentucky since leaving the program last April.