The boo birds began for John Calipari the moment he set foot on Kentucky soil

With John Calipari making his long-awaited return to Kentucky on Saturday night, it felt safe to assume that Big Blue Nation was going to give him a not-so-friendly welcome back to Rupp Arena. Wildcats fans — and really, the entire country — have had this date circled on their calendars for almost a year now, ever since Calipari bolted for SEC rival Arkansas after 15 years at the helm in Lexington.

As it turns out, though, that may have even been underselling just how ready Kentucky was to shower their former coach with boos. With more than 24 hours before tip-off, fans didn't feel like waiting, so they just went ahead and met Coach Cal at the airport.

Kentucky wastes no time showering John Calipari with boos

Let the record show that the first boos Calipari received on Saturday arrived before he'd even technically set foot on Kentucky soil. While it's small potatoes compared to the reception he and the Razorbacks will get at Rupp on Saturday night, a few intrepid fans made the trek out to the airport to make sure Calipari didn't feel welcome from the moment his plane landed on Friday evening.

Calipari might be set on insisting that things are A-OK between himself and Kentucky, that he's not taking the boos personally as he returns to a school that still occupies a special place in his heart, but come on: that sort of reception has to sting a little bit, especially for someone as prideful as Coach Cal has proven himself to be. There's sports hate, and then there's the sort of hate that motivates someone to take time out of their Friday afternoon to drive out to an airfield and shout at you from across a tarmac.

Of course, Calipari can take the ultimate revenge with a win on Saturday night, although recent trends suggest that's unlikely. But early returns suggest that any attempt to downplay how big of a deal this reunion really is will fall on deaf ears.