There's no question that Kentucky and its supporters want John Calipari. The university is prepared to make him the highest-paid college basketball coach, a move endorsed by fans who are inundating message boards with positive comments and who launched a Facebook group titled "Bring John Calipari to UK" that's been growing by the hour (more than 17,000 at last count). Meanwhile, in Memphis, TV crews were angling for position near Calipari's home.

Is the Memphis coach worth all the hysteria?  Kentucky, which is looking to restore its place among college basketball's elite after the Billy Gillispie disaster, clearly needs to make a home-run hire. If Calipari takes the job -- as of late Tuesday afternoon, all signs pointed to his departure from Memphis -- Kentucky would get not only an offensive innovator but also one of the best recruiters in the game. Calipari could bring top recruits such as Xavier Henry, Demarcus Cousins and John Wall with him to Kentucky.

That said, a reported $35 million deal is a huge investment in a coach who, for all his success, has never won an NCAA title. What do you think? Would this be a smart move for Kentucky?