Calipari in Uncharted Waters After Hogs' 0-2 Start in SEC

Razorbacks coach remains confident turnaround possible despite slow start

Arkansas coach John Calipari motions from the sideline against Ole Miss. Ole Miss won 73-66. / Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The last time a John Calipari coached team started 0-2 in SEC play, gas was 67 cents a gallon. It never happened in his 15 years at Kentucky.

It didn't happen in his nine years at Memphis. It's only happened twice in his coaching career that spans nearly four decades.

Dig deep enough into the archives, and you'll find that it happened in his first season and most recently when the 1991-92 UMass team started 0-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. That team won 30 games and finished the season 13-3 in conference play before making a Sweet 16 run in the 1992 NCAA Tournament.

While that scale of turnaround would have to happen in arguably the strongest year of the SEC ever, Calipari remains confident that some form of revival is still possible.

"I knew the league was going to be good, but I didn’t think top to bottom that it would look like this," Calipari said. "This now made my job even harder when you’re trying to build a culture and it’s about the process, not the results. Uh oh, results matter. They matter."

Calipari is at his fourth school and has orchestrated similar turnarounds at his previous three stops. He lost his first six games in conference play his first year as a head coach.

"You’re trying to build beyond that and the culture has to come first and wins follow," Calipari said. "Everywhere I’ve been it’s been the same. Early on it’s ugly, we’re not together, and eventully we go and we start getting it going."

Arkansas joins Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and LSU as the only teams still searching for its first SEC win after two games.

"You got to play to win," Calipari said. "You got to know how to finish people off, you got to know how to be down six or eight and still be good."

The Razorbacks will look to break the ice against No. 8 Florida. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.

HOGS FEED:

• Dia's big game sinks Razorbacks' first half hopes

• Razorbacks searching for SEC footing in loss to Ole Miss

• Razorbacks face short bench in post with big man questionable

• Unique offense giving coaches problems while scheming for Ole Miss

• Home blowout trends provide hope Hogs can rebound

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