Calipari, Razorbacks Underdoing 'Process' to Find Success

Arkansas hosts Pacific in Bud Walton Monday as team searches for more improvement

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari reacts to a non-call in the second half Wednesday against the Troy Trojans at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 65-49 after trailing by a point at halftime. The Hogs play Monday against Pacific. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

It's more about the process than the results. Arkansas coach John Calipari has been saying exactly that, in one way or another, since he moved to Fayetteville.

Don't be fooled. Calipari is as competitive as any coach I've ever met, and wants to win every time his team takes the court. But he understands the long game. That's especially important when a roster turns over completely, and in this era of transfers and one-and-done guys.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero (3) drives to the basket in the second half against the Troy Trojans at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 65-49 Wednesday, improving to 2-1 on the young season. Thiero led the Hogs with seven rebounds and tied for team high with 19 points. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Point is, don't get hung up on the Razorbacks' record as the season progresses. Yes, it matters greatly, especially for seeding at the SEC and NCAA tournaments. Still, as Coach Cal can attest, a high seed doesn't always lead to a deep run in March.

Part of that process is playing a tough schedule, testing his players against potential Elite Eight or better teams and quality mid-majors instead of cupcakes, the small colleges that will come to Bud Walton Arena knowing they'll leave with a loss and a big appearance check.

Three games into the season, the Hogs have shown improvement. They also learned what needs work. They beat mid-majors Lipscomb (76-60) and Troy (65-49), winner of at least 20 games the last three seasons. Lipscomb was a 3-pointer from forcing overtime with the Hogs a year ago.

"There’s gotta be easier teams out there to play," Calipari said in rhetorical fashion during the Troy post-game press conference. "But, you know what, we needed it, because I’ve got to learn about these guys and we’re all together for the first time."

Then, he said it again: "It's more about the process than the results." He quickly qualified that with a reference to the Hogs' loss to Baylor down in Fort Worth, Texas, a game sandwiched between the two wins.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) drives to the basket against Baylor Bears guard VJ Edgecombe (7) during the second half at American Airlines Center. / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The Hogs played poorly in the first half against No. 8 Baylor, made several runs in each half to tie the game before the Bears would counter, and got within a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left. They lost 72-67 but showed grit throughout the game while fighting to stay close with defense and determination despite a poor shooting night.

"At Baylor, I would have rather won a close game than learned that we’ve really got work to do," Calipari said. "But it’s more the process than it is just results. Especially (in) November."

Shooting from beyond the 3-point arc was a problem the first two games, and in two exhibitions. Against Troy, the Hogs netted 10 of 23, a 43% clip any team would take on any night. But there's good and bad news to those numbers.

The good -- make it great -- news is 7-foot-2 forward Zvonimir Ivišić drained 6 of 7 treys against Troy. That left the other guys with 4 of 16, the same 25% they've been posting. Remove point guard Boogie Fland's 2 of 3 and it drops to 2 of 13, just 15%.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivišić (44) drains one of his six 3-pointers during Wednesday's second-half action against the Troy Trojans at Bud Walton Arena. Ivišić added five blocked shots and three steals to go with his 19 points. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Trust me, that'll improve. Yes, shooting better is part of Calipari's process. It's a fact that guys get more comfortable in a new offense as weeks go by. They get used to each other. They gain confidence individually and as a group.

All of that is especially true with a new coach and when only one guy played at the school the year before. Trust me on these two also: The Hogs won't shoot 43% from 3-point land every night and
Ivišić sure ain't going 6 of 7, though he might do it a few times a month. His stroke and and confidence are good enough that he might shoot 43% for the season.

Calipari figured to work on the team's zone offense through the weekend. With some folks hurt and practice time limited, coaches hadn't installed much, if any, zone offense prior to the Baylor game. Remember, it's a process although even that's been slowed by guys missing practice and games.

The Hogs play again Monday, against Pacific in the friendly confines of Bud Walton Arena. The contest will be streamed on SEC Network+ at 7 p.m.

Pacific is 3-2, with consecutive losses to Hawaii (76-66) and Northern Arizona (60-57). Their best win is against San Jose State (80-67) in Hawaii. The Tigers may not pose as much of a threat to No. 18 Arkansas (2-1) as recent foes but it's still an opportunity to get better -- part of the process.

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