All Hogs

As Mid-Tier of SEC Gets Sent Packing, Calipari's Hogs Still Dancing

As 14 strong slowly drops off, Razorbacks manage to fight way to Sweet 16 while others sitting at home

Daniel Shi

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The SEC of 14 strong is now down to just six after three days of March Madness. Most of the elite echelon of the league are still here. No. 1 seeds Florida and Auburn, No. 2 seed Tennessee and No. 3 Kentucky are all still dancing.

Ole Miss beat a North Carolina team that had one Quad 1 win all season in the opening round. Considering the Tar Heels' season that wasn't too surprising.

The one team that isn't supposed to be here and still kicking, No. 10 Arkansas.

The same team that was marked "the biggest disappointment in the country."

Calipari had seemingly lost his fastball as the rest of the SEC was passing him by with younger coaches.

Younger coaches like Buzz Williams at Texas A&M, Dennis Gates at Missouri, Chris Jans at Mississippi State, Mike White at Georgia, Mark Byington at Vanderbilt and Porter Moser at Oklahoma. They all got higher seeds than Arkansas and Calipari.

Yet, as the dust settles on the opening two rounds of the tournament, it's Calipari and Arkansas that have knocked out the highest seed to date, No. 2 St. John's.

He's done it his own way, staying young as the rest of the league has gotten older. Calipari is quick to point out that even with the additions of Jonas Aidoo and Johnell Davis as experienced participants of March Madness, his team is still the youngest in the SEC.

Arkansas' three freshmen, Karter Knox, Billy Richmond and Boogie Fland rewarded their coach by combining for 37 points and 18 rebounds in the most important game of the year.

Even though the team lost the rebounding battle 51-45, the team kept it close enough to neutralize the second-best rebounding margin team in the Big East. A far cry from when SEC play started and the Hogs were -22 on the glass against Tennessee.

"I tried to explain to them how it would be and they didn't listen," Calipari said. "We went into that game and got absolutely shellacked."

From being shallacked, to the Sweet 16. Not bad for a coach who lost his fastball three months ago.

"Overcoming adversity," Knox said. "We had to fight to get here."

Other coaches will coach long after Calipari is retired, but at least for one more year, the elder statesman of the SEC has his fastball back, and it's striking out the competition all the way to the Sweet 16 and perhaps beyond.

"I'm not going to let anything faze me in this," Calipari said. "Here we are, let's have fun."

Arkansas takes on No. 3 Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 in San Francisco Thursday. A tipoff time and network has not been announced.

HOGS FEED:

• Teammates, coaches continue to praise Hogs' transfer tight end

• Calipari eliminating Pitino adds special chapter to storybook season

• Sweet victory for Calipari, Razorbacks over No. 2 St. John's

• Razorbacks Somehow Find Way to Sweet 16, Downing St. John's

• Davalan becoming anchor in Razorback line-up

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Daniel Shi
DANIEL SHI

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