Does Hunter Yurachek still have regrets?
When the Arkansas athletic director took a gamble on bringing in John Calipari to take over the Razorbacks’ men’s basketball program, Yurachek said one of the factors was “building a championship team within the Southeastern Conference.” ” That was Calipari’s ability.
We’re only five games into the SEC, but Arkansas is far from a winning team and looks more like an underachieving team on par with the $38 million man.
Even in his first season, it was natural to have some high expectations for Calipari. He had a top-five recruiting class and a top transfer portal, putting the Razorbacks in prime position to contend in the SEC. Arkansas was picked fourth in the preseason poll. Like every other SEC team, they got off to a strong start to the season with an 11-2 record, giving them optimism for a promising season.
However, it was a rocky start to conference play. Arkansas lost to powerhouses Tennessee, Mississippi, and Florida, and while you can’t really blame them for that, the fight isn’t over yet. This week they lost to LSU and were down by 18 points to Missouri, but they persevered.
The University of Arkansas is 0-5 in conference play, a dismal start in league play, and is far from being considered for the NCAA Tournament.
If this comes as a shock or surprise to Hogs fans, it shouldn’t. Calipari is not the clutch coach that made him famous. He always finds a way to lose against programs that shouldn’t lose, and that carries over to Fayetteville.
“We’re going to have to figure something out,” Calipari said after the loss to Missouri State.
He doesn’t have much time. Thanks to a tough conference schedule, Arkansas will return to Georgia and Calipari will return to Kentucky and Alabama within the next three weeks. The Razorbacks are in trouble, and Calipari is once again facing another difficult end to the season.
Here’s the hottest news from the world of men’s college basketball this past weekend.
Frequent upsets
Last week, the top 10 teams in the country all faced tough road tests and emerged victorious. That wasn’t the case this time.
This week, three of the top seven teams in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll, and seven total teams, lost to unranked opponents. The most shocking one was Iowa State, which beat Kansas State at home, but had a poor late performance against West Virginia and suffered its second loss of the season.
This comes on top of already known tough games, including Alabama leaving Rupp Arena with a win over Kentucky and Georgia failing to pick up a last-second win against a top opponent. You will see that there are many traps. Ranked at Auburn. In the end, no one is safe.
Gonzaga loses in basketball vote
No team in the top 25 had a worse week than Gonzaga. The Bulldogs, bruised and bruised during their conference absence, made it to the comfortable West Coast Conference they’ve reigned in for more than two decades. However, Gonzaga University unexpectedly received a lot of punches this time.
Conference newcomer Oregon State welcomed Gonzaga to Corvallis and outscored the Bulldogs in overtime. Gonzaga returned home and Santa Clara lost again, scoring 103 points, the most the Bulldogs have allowed in a home game at The Kennel. It was the first consecutive loss in WCC games since the 2013-14 season.
The Bulldogs won’t completely eliminate their chances in the tournament, but their resume doesn’t look very good. He has a record of 4 wins and 6 losses in the first and second games. Gonzaga will need a late-season effort similar to last year if it is to extend its streak of nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.
Cooper Flagg, Duke looks like a No. 1 seed
Those living in NBA basements are probably hoping the ping pong balls will be in their favor. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is every bit a generational talent and could be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft as he continues to lead the Blue Devils in the ACC’s fight. There are enough.
The ACC isn’t the strongest conference in the country, but Duke has lost by double digits in seven of its eight games, clearly setting itself apart from other conferences. With their most recent results (a 35-point loss to Miami and a 25-point road win over Boston College), the Blue Devils have won ACC games by an average of 23 points.
Flagg continues to have exceptional play during ACC play. He dropped 28 points against BC, his ninth 20-point game of the season, and led Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game. John Scheyer’s team has a quality resume and there aren’t too many obstacles standing in their way for the rest of the season, meaning Duke is well on its way to earning the No. 1 seed in the tournament. Masu.
Louisville continues its remarkable recovery.
Pat Kelce has proven to be a winner wherever he goes, and it shows for a Louisville team that has struggled for years.
The Cardinals completed their first sweep of the season at Virginia on Saturday, extending their winning streak to eight games and continuing their “Leviville” run. Louisville dominated the struggling Cavaliers from the start, winning by double digits for the second time this week and fifth in the last six games.
While 14 wins may not seem like a lot, it is Louisville’s most since the 2019-20 season, and will likely return to the NCAA field for the first time since 2019. The most important thing is that the fan base supports it. With KFC Yum! As the games go on, the center field fills up more and more.
It looks like Louisville finally has the right person in charge.