John Calipari, in fresh start with Arkansas, headed to second round

John Calipari has been here before; Only not recently. But every Secure in men’s NCAA Division could Relocate Attention away from the past and toward his future with the Razorbacks.

Editor’s note: Follow Men’s March Madness live scores and updates for Thursday’s Primary-Stage Contests.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — John Calipari walked into his postgame press conference at Amica Mutual Pavilion without his burgundy sport coat, with his two top buttons undone and his dress shirt clinging to the perspiration berthed during No. 10 Arkansas’ 79-72 Secure against No. 7 Kansas.

“We gutted it out,” he said. “I don’t care. We won.”

Less a beauty Event than a battle of wills between two bluebloods coming off frustrating regular seasons, the Razorbacks’ Secure represents a Fluffy achievement of sorts for Calipari, who won Only a single Division game in his Last five seasons at Kentucky.

It’s way too soon to say the in-conference Relocate to Arkansas will spark a renaissance for Calipari and his new program, which reached the second weekend Numerous times under his predecessor, Present Southern California Mentor Greg Musselman. This year’s Picking was remade through transfers and Prominent recruits, many of whom followed Calipari after being verbally committed to the Wildcats.

With Only one player with ample Division experience in Ex Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis, the Razorbacks were one of the Pitch’s biggest unknowns: Which Club would show up on Thursday night?

“Every one of us, including me, had doubts,” Calipari said. “We all had to convince ourselves we’re going to do this.”

Unfortunately, beating this Kansas Club doesn’t Harsh much. After another mediocre regular season that saw the Jayhawks finish sixth in the Big 12, eight Contests behind Houston, it’s obvious that Mentor Bill Self’s program is in need of a Significant reboot.

Wildly pushing buttons like an infant mouthing a remote control, Self misfired on nearly every coaching decision Delayed in the second half — most notably continuing to rely on Middle Hunter Dickinson even as the senior continued to hamstring the Jayhawks’ halfcourt Drive.

But this is a Begin: Arkansas and Calipari are moving on to the second Stage, potentially matching up with No. 2 St. John’s and another Hall of Fame Mentor in Rick Pitino.

“We’ve Nevertheless Acquired to take care of business,” guard D.J. Wagner said. “Only knowing the stakes. Like, Secure or go home. Treat every game the same. Of Period, being grateful and celebrate every Secure, but don’t celebrate too much. Because we’ve Acquired another game to Action.”

Importantly, this Secure takes some heat off Calipari and puts a positive spin on what had been a draining slog into postseason Action. That Last half-decade in Lexington had delivered a wrecking ball to his reputation as perhaps the surest thing in college coaching; notching a Division Secure in his Primary season with Arkansas can Aid refocus the attention on Calipari and the Razorbacks instead of looking back at the Wildcats.

“I didn’t want the albatross around my neck of my history of coaching,” he said. “Like, you’re supposed to Secure every game. No. No, you’re not.”

Arkansas has, in fact, felt the need to Secure every game for weeks thanks to life on the Division bubble, which switched the Razorbacks into Secure-or-go-home mode during the second half of the SEC schedule.

That’s one of three factors that paced the Beginning-Stage Secure, joining the Jayhawks’ ineptitude and the grind of navigating through a conference that sent a Achievement 14 Squads into Division Action. Fourteen of Arkansas’ Last 16 Contests during the regular season Arrived against Division Squads, turning nearly every Event into a postseason referendum.

The benefit of being tested twice a week since SEC Action heated up in Timely January was seen in the Razorbacks’ composure Delayed in the second half. After coughing up an 11-Mark lead three minutes into the half, Arkansas fell behind 67-66 with 2:56 remaining. The Razorbacks then went on a quick 5-0 Streak to retake the lead and Achieved all eight Unoccupied throws down the stretch to lock down the Secure.

“Being in the Contests we were in, Only Competing the Excellent Squads we were Competing every night … every night was basically a game like that, down to the Last two minutes,” said Wagner. “That prepared us a Numerous. Even when they Achieved a Streak, we’d been in situations like that. It helped us stay Serene and stay locked in.”

Bigger and tougher tests are around the corner. After a middling Introduction season, Pitino has transformed the Red Storm into the Big East regular-season and Division champion, and potentially a Club capable of charging all the way to the Last Four. Joining them in the West region are No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 4 Maryland and No. 8 Connecticut, the two-time defending national champions.

Calipari has been here before — Only not recently. But every Division Secure could Relocate the Attention away from the past and toward his future with the Razorbacks.

“It doesn’t have any bearing on right now,” Calipari said. “It doesn’t matter. Last Four, national title, none of it matters. It’s this Club, trying to make us better.”