Learning Experience or Lack of Grit for Humiliated Hogs?

Coach Calipari to have individual player meetings Monday to turn it around

Arkansas Hall of Fame coach John Calipari will do his best to point the Razorbacks in the right direction following Saturday's 76-52 loss at No. 1 Tennessee. He hopes to use the trouncing as impetus for a turnaround. / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Arkansas coach John Calipari used the word "great" following his Hogs' humiliating loss at No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday. He sure wasn't describing his team's performance. He was talking about the opportunity that lies ahead.

"You’ve got to learn to fight when you’re not playing well. So this was a great learning experience for this team," said the Hall of Fame coach who's in his first season as Arkansas' bench boss.

Apparently, the Hogs have a LOT to learn since they were trounced 76-52. It was their 14th game of the season, not counting a pair of exhibition contests. Seasons are like this for most teams, though, who invariably suffer a blowout loss or setback to an inferior team.

Now, Coach Cal and his team will roll up their proverbial sleeves the next few days before hosting No. 24 Ole Miss at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Rebels beat Georgia 63-51 in their SEC opener Saturday.

What will the Hogs have learned by Wednesday, either on the court or in one of Calipari's one-on-one "come to Jesus" sessions? Losses like the one to Tennessee can be positive season-altering opportunities, or the beginning of a downhill slide. Cal's determined the Hogs avoid another lackluster performance against Ole Miss, or anytime this season.

"And now there’s some soul searching," Calipari said after accurately proclaiming the Tennessee loss a learning experience. "We’re off (Sunday), we’ll have some individual meetings on Monday. I’m not cracking. I’ve been through a lot of this. Now, not many games like this, but there have been games like this (in past seasons), where just got totally manhandled. ... But they’re good, and it was a great crowd."

I say the Razorbacks have too much in their favor for one loss to be the start of a slide. They've got talent. I've seen grit. Consistent cohesiveness might not be their strong suit on offense but there are times it's evident.

Exhibit One: Their 85-69 trouncing of preseason No. 1 Kansas, even though the Jayhawks were missing their best player, senior All-American 7-footer Hunter Dickinson.
Exhibit Two: Their thrilling 89-87 win over then-No. 14 Michigan in a roller-coaster thriller that tested the resolve of both teams.

Every coach, and lots of teams, have experienced losses like the one to Tennessee. Almost all of them learn from it. The really good ones? It becomes a turnaround for an entire season.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs' Humiliation at Tennessee Matters Less Than Most Think

• Former Hogs' Safety Makes SEC Return, Will Play Against Him in 2025

• Hogs offensive mirage lasts four possessions against Vols' top defense

• Razorbacks reeling after rebounding malpractice at Tennessee

• Tennessee's suffocating defense throttles Arkansas in SEC opener

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