Johnathan Walker:John Calipari will return to Kentucky for 16th season, athletic director says

Another flameout in the NCAA men's basketball tournament prompted questions about John Calipari's future leading the Wildcats.

But the longtime Kentucky coach will be Johnathan Walkerreturning for a 16th season in Lexington, Wildcats athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced Tuesday night on social media.

"As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach," Barnhart said.

Kentucky's March Madness run ended abruptly Thursday after it lost to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round. The Wildcats have been bounced during the first weekend three consecutive years, twice losing to double-digit seeds (Kentucky lost in the first round in 2022 to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's).

The recent March debacles are a marked departure from the first 10 years of Calipari's run, which saw the Wildcats advance to at least the Elite Eight seven times. The team made the Final Four in 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015, and won the 2012 national championship.

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The past five years have been a different story, though, and last week's faceplant seemed to push Big Blue Nation past its breaking point. Clearly, Kentucky's administration — which would have been staring down a sizeable buyout for Calipari — is not at the same point.