Hogs Could Land Premium NCAA Site, but TV Execs Likely Have Other Plans

Lure of so many stories with Calipari will prevent Arkansas from ending up in more desirable locales

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari with Kentucky last season in a game at Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 27, 2024. / Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The drive to Fort Collins, a beautiful city in Northern Colorado just a few miles from the Wyoming border at the base of the Rocky Mountains, requires a final push through Denver before the final stretch.

With fans asking a ton of basketball questions just weeks prior to the opening of football season, the scenic jaunt up I-25 offered a chance to look ahead to next March. See, Denver is one of the sites on the list for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, and as far as locations for starting John Calipari's first-ever postseason run at Arkansas, it's a great option.

The city is absolutely beautiful and it's easy to access by plane. It can be driven also, but, especially those driving the 12 hours from Fayetteville will find themselves bored in a barren stretch of literally nothing through Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado.

Fair warning though. Don't be deceived by the sweet tea in that part of the country, even if it's at a place where it should be easily established as Taco Bell. Sweet tea there means it's either mixed with rasberry without letting anyone know, or it's got a sugary syrup concoction that tastes downright awful.

However, the odds of the Hogs landing in the picturesque landscape of Central Colorado with its C+ knowledge of sweet tea are probably slim. Everyone knows the NCAA is in the television business in March and stories drive ratings.

The odds-on favorite is Lexington, especially if former Arkansas coach Eric Musselman can somehow squeeze USC into the tournament. Sending Calipari to his old stomping grounds in Kentucky, especially if Mark Pope can't get the Wildcats into the dance, is basic low-level logic for television producers.

It'd be interesting to see if Kentucky fans would turn out either in support of their old coach, out of spite, or pretend he's not in town at all. As for Musselman, if he does his part, there is a path to the Razorbacks and Trojans meeting up in one of his old favorite haunts – San Francisco.

That would mean a possible Sweet 16 match-up in the same city where Arkansas took down No. 1 Gonzaga in the same round back in 2022 before losing to Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's farewell tour in the Elite 8. Getting back-to-back weekends of huge stories out of Calipari is a TV executive's dream.

The second possible story line, although it's not nearly as juicy, is to put the Razorbacks on a path to Newark, New Jersey. This would put Calipari a stone's throw away from New York city and in the same state he jetted off to for a break after wrapping up summer workouts.

There's got to be a storyline twist on this one, so to get there, he's going to have to face Rick Pitino's St. John's team with a double tie involved considering the Mike Anderson situation and the shady way he was moved out so Pitino could get the job. Pitting a pair of coaches who led Kentucky to a national championship against one another will help what might be a region short on good storylines.

Plus, to get there, the NCAA can ship Arkansas off to a variety of outposts not likely to excite Arkansas fans. Anyone up for a weekend kicking it in Cleveland?

Either way, as desirable as Denver is as a first round site, it's probably not going to make the cut. Then again, based on some of the questions fans are asking, there seems to be doubt in whether Arkansas will make the tournament at all.

Calipari seems driven enough to make sure missing the tournament in his first season in Fayetteville isn't an option. There's little doubt the NCAA hopes that's the case because it could use good news these days and Arkansas in the dance this year is best for business.

HOGS FEED:

• Penn State's loss could be Hogs' gain

• Petrino can't help but gush when talking about true freshman wideout

• Razorbacks' Petrino doing what he does best: coaching football

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