John Calipari, 66, referenced his coaching roots on Wednesday, pointing back to his tenure at the University of Massachusetts (1988-96), where he got his start as a head coach.
Before Calipari’s arrival, UMass had only made the NCAA Tournament once. He transformed the program, leading the Minutemen to five straight tournament appearances from 1992 to 1996, including a Final Four run in 1996 later vacated by the NCAA. That tournament run began with first- and second-round games in Providence, a memory Calipari brought up while comparing it to his current Arkansas team’s journey.
Arkansas, ranked 14th in the preseason AP poll, finished the regular season 20-13 (8-10 SEC). Calipari highlighted how injuries to leading scorers Boogie Fland (thumb) and Adou Thiero (knee) forced him to rely on a seven-man rotation. With Fland cleared to return, the plan is to reintegrate him against Kansas.
January was a rough stretch for the Razorbacks, who lost six of seven games. However, Calipari said that stretch defined their season, as they rebounded with crucial road wins over Kentucky and Texas before finishing 7-4 over their last 11 games. In the SEC Tournament, Arkansas edged South Carolina 72-68 before falling 83-80 to Ole Miss.
“This team found a way,” Calipari said. “They became one heartbeat. It was so enjoyable for me. This is different for me fighting to get in, the rewards of this. Every one of these players was in a dark place at some point, questioning everything. The first battle you have is with yourself. Now, I see kids smiling.”
The matchup against Kansas marks Calipari’s third NCAA Tournament meeting with Bill Self. Self’s Kansas team defeated Calipari’s Memphis squad in the 2008 national championship, while Calipari’s Kentucky team avenged that loss in the 2012 title game.
“Playing someone I respect and have a friendship with is tough,” Calipari said. “We’ll both try to beat each other’s brains in, then feel bad for about 12 seconds before moving on to the next game.”
The winner of Arkansas-Kansas will advance to face either No. 2 St. John’s or No. 15 Omaha.
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