Razorbacks head basketball coach John Calipari only had a perfect mark at Arkansas for a single game. Calipari’s Hogs lost a neutral site game in Dallas, Texas that CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein saw as a home game for Baylor.
Despite the 72-67 loss to the Bears, Rothstein sent an extremely optimistic message on the Razorbacks’ outlook in 2024-25 after losing a close game with extremely sloppy play; acknowledging Baylor was due a comeback game after being destroyed by Gonzaga, 101-63, in a 2021 March Madness Finals rematch.
“This was the response I expected from Baylor after Monday night’s loss to Gonzaga,” Rothstein tweeted. “But Arkansas shot 41% from the field, 25% from 3, and lost by five 90 minutes from Baylor’s campus in its second game together as a unit.
“Can’t wait to see where the Razorbacks are in a month.”
Calipari was tough on his team’s poor shooting performance but similarly saw the light.
“This showed me some good stuff. We’ve got a lot of work to do. I still think my team is pretty good. Gotta make a shot or two. You don’t have to make them all, you just can’t miss them all,” Calipari said postgame (h/t HawgBeat).
Arkansas came into college basketball season with championship aspirations because of new Razorbacks head coach John Calipari
FOX Sports’ Aaron Torres called Arkansas a national championship contender after the Razorbacks destroyed Kansas in a preseason exhibition game.
“Arkansas destroys No. 1 Kansas 85-69 in an exhibition,” Torres wrote. “Know its only an exhibition. Know Kansas was missing guys (as was Arkansas). And know we can’t give John Calipari credit for anything.
“But… this Arkansas team really is capable of anything. SEC title. Final Four. More.”
Losing their second game doesn’t preclude the Hogs from an SEC title, a Final Four, or more. If anything, it could be the shot in the arm needed to make the team equipped enough to handle any adversity. It was an impressive showing for the Razorbacks to have hustled their way back into a game they couldn’t out-skill the Bears in.
