Following No. 19 Arkansas’ 90-77 loss to Illinois on Thursday in Kansas City, Razorbacks coach John Calipari spoke to the media about the contest, starting with a tip of his cap:
“You got to give them credit,” he said. “They had great motion. They were creating switches.”
All night, the Illini (6-1) used the pick-and-roll to create mismatches – and took full advantage of them. Whether it was big man Tomislav Ivisic taking a guard into the post or guard Kasparas Jakucionis finding himself checked by Tomi’s brother, Zvonimir, on the perimeter, Illinois was able to generate open looks every time Arkansas (5-2) switched.
Kasparas Jakucionis can’t miss! @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/oykAvLcDWP
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) November 28, 2024
While Calipari was direct in his praise of the Illini, the quieter subtext was his clear frustration with the Razorbacks’ defensive play: “You can stunt, but you’re not leaving him. But we left some guys.
“We had been a good defensive team, until today.”
Calipari wasn’t much happier with the results of the Razorbacks’ offense:
“We wanted to go middle pick-and-roll, but they stayed out. … This team played to take away 3s.”
Illinois did just that – to a certain extent. Arkansas went just 5-for-17 from long distance on the game (and 0-for-7 in the first half), but they clanked open shots about as often as they missed on contested attempts. The Razorbacks five triples were fewer than Tomislav Ivisic’s six 3s all on his own.
“We were supposed to be rotating to him [Tomislav],” Calipari said, “and there were two or three times that … we really didn’t.”
But as far as Calipari was concerned, it wasn’t simply poor rotations, missed free throws or Illinois’ hot shooting that decided the outcome. The implication: the Illini arrived in Kansas City with more effort and better energy.
“They took it to us and they were the aggressor the whole game.”
