Kentucky's John Calipari Reportedly Has 'Some Level of Interest' in Texas HC Opening

The John Calipari-to-Texas rumors just won't go away. At least not completely.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, "There seems to be some level of interest on both sides, according to sources, but Texas hasn't advanced too far in its search, and it's premature to say Calipari is even involved."

When Kentucky was off to a 10-6 start and fan unrest was high, losing Calipari to Texas may not have set off alarm bells for fans in Lexington. But the Wildcats have responded by winning nine out of their last 12 games, including two wins over Tennessee.

This is no longer a bubble team—a strong SEC tournament could see this Kentucky side earn itself a very solid seed.

And as Borzello added, "Firing him was not really a feasible option anyway; his buyout is in the $40 million range."

Texas, meanwhile, just never seems to quite get the basketball program to the heights that the school's resources would suggest it should reach.

Before Chris Beard's arrest on a felony domestic violence charge, and his subsequent firing, he was 29-13 with one NCAA tournament appearance, though the team bowed out in the second round.

In fact, the Longhorns haven't gotten past the first weekend since reaching the Elite Eight in the 2007-08 season.

That hasn't been an issue for Calipari's Kentucky—since taking over in the 2009-10 season, he's won a title, reached the Final Four three times, the Elite Eight six times and the Sweet 16 seven times. He's only missed the NCAA tournament twice, though one of those came last season, leading to the increased consternation around this year's slow start.

But it would appear the ship has been righted, at least for the time being. Just don't be surprised if Texas comes calling.