Hear Calipari, John Wall Talk to Hogs After Win at Miami

Arkansas coach introduces his former player, No. 1 draft pick to Razorbacks

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari reacts during the second quarter against the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

It's not how you start. It's how you finish. That certainly applied to Arkansas' road win at Miami Tuesday as the Hogs closed with a 10-2 spurt to claim a 76-73 decision.

The Razorbacks outscored the 'Canes 44-33 in the second half after Arkansas coach John Calipari gave an impassioned halftime talk. Oftentimes, inspirational "this is how it's going to be" speeches don't work, but this one seemed to get the Hogs' attention as they determinedly fought throughout the final 20 minutes.

"We’ll see," Calipari said when asked if the road win is a turning point for the Hogs. "We’ve got tough games coming up, but I will tell you, at halftime, [I told the players] we’re not losing this game. We are not losing this game. We’ll figure out something, and if you don’t want to play that way, if you’re sad because you’re not playing well, then you‘re not in. Sit on the side and let us win the game."

He was certainly pleased with the finish, and just as much with how the Hogs fought throughout the second half when Miami shot well, playing its best ball of the young season, and just as determined to prevail.

"We had a bunch of guys that fought," Calipari said. "In these kinds of games, you claw and give yourself a chance. We gave ourselves a chance, and Boogie (Fland] made some plays down the stretch."

Fland, the freshman point guard, scored the last seven points for the Razorbacks. He cashed two free throws after drawing a foul and backed that up with a 3-pointer just 38 seconds later.

Then, less than a minute later with 54 seconds to play, Fland confidently created his own shot. His adept handle put the Miami defender on his heels to create space and he confidently netted a 16-foot jumper from the free throw line extended.

It was the kind of last-minute heroics often displayed by another Calipari point guard — John Wall —the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Wall had ice water in his veins when it came to end of game situations, a trait Fland just might possess.

Calipari praised his players in the dressing room for a gutsy comeback on the road and for playing to win at the end of the game. Then he called "Coach" Wall to come in front of the team to say a few words.

Gutsy comeback on the road pic.twitter.com/qkfeMh5rzb

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) December 4, 2024

"I love these kids, Calipari said in the post-game press conference. "I want to have fun. Some of it’s going to be good, some of it’s going to be bad, but I’m having fun. And if we do this the right way and we play hard and we execute — and how about this, we scrimmage — we’ll catch up a little bit.

"We’re behind most teams. We are, I get it. But let's see where we are in January. Let's see where we are in February. Let’s see. I know there’s a lot of happy people thinking we’re not very good. Sometimes I’m one of them, but we’ll see."

HOGS FEED:

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• Passing of Bob Holt should spur us to live life to fullest

• Did Calipari Decision to Have Fun Help Produce Hogs' Win?

• Former Razorback plays hero again during Lions historic run

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