Pitino Respects Razorbacks, But Not Worried About Calipari

Arkansas must play at extremely high level to compete with No. 2 seed St. John's

St. John's Red Storm coach Rick Pitino reacts during the second half against the Omaha Mavericks at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Thursday. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — For those who think the Arkansas Razorbacks don't have much of a chance against the St. John's Red Storm this afternoon, please think again.

Yes, St. John's is expected to win by a couple of three-pointers and free throws, but the Hogs don't care about any of that.

They weren't supposed to beat the Kansas Jayhawks, either, but give coach Bill Self a call if you don't know how that one turned out.

I'm not going to get into team records, scouting reports, scoring averages, or who has the psychological advantage.

I'm going to base this on two factors:
1 - The eye test.
2 - NET Rankings.

Admittedly, I've watched the Razorbacks much more than I have the Red Storm, which is to say I've seen about every game of Arkansas' this season and about 30 seconds of the Jonnies.

Still, let's just say I've seen enough ball in my time to know if the Hogs play to their capability like they did in that impressive first half against Kansas on Thursday they're good enough to beat anyone on a neutral court.

So, the eye test tells me if 6-foot-11 Jonas Aidoo and 6-foot-10 Trevon Brazile roam the paint like a couple of efficient scorers on one end and rim protectors on the other, St. John's could be in trouble.

Arkansas Razorbacks center Jonas Aidoo (9) controls the ball against Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Thursday. Aidoo scored a season-high 22 points and held Dickinson scoreless in the second half. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

If D.J. Wagner and Johnell Davis shoot well enough from the perimeter to score and also open up passing lanes to the post, St. John's could be in trouble.

If 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic joins in the fun against the smaller Red Storm defenders, and Karter Knox and Billy Richmond III make more shots than turnovers, St. John's could be in trouble.

And, finally, if Boogie Fland, who missed the previous 15 games before playing against Kansas, can play another 24 minutes and take his game up a notch, St. John's will be in trouble.

"I told our team that we have not seen this type of size and this type of athleticism all year," St. John's coach Rick Pitino said. "Creighton has a 7-foot-2 center, but Arkansas has multiple guys. We haven't seen this type of athleticism all year. We know what we are up against.

"They had a lot of injuries, which is why they opened up 0-5 (in SEC play). But they got it together now. If they finished eighth or ninth in the SEC, based on what I watched against Kansas, I'm glad we're not in the SEC. The talent level in that conference is amazing to me."

Even Pitino says the Hogs pass the eye test, so enough about that. Here's part two of why the Razorbacks can not only stay close but triumph again to reach the Sweet 16.

It's the NET rankings. That's the formula the NCAA Selection Committee uses to choose and seed the 68 teams invited to the Big Dance.

The NET hasn't been updated since Selection Sunday as it's moot now, but we're comparing apples to apples in this case.

Arkansas sits 40th in the NET. St. John's is 13th. Huge difference, right? Yep, except when you see Kansas is 20th and the Hogs eliminated the Jayhawks with a 79-72 decision.

The Hogs' biggest problem? St. John's defense, which is ranked best in the country by KenPom. Pitino has always coached superior defensive teams, not a secret to Arkansas coach John Calipari.

University of Arkansas coach John Calipari egging his players on against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Providence, RI., on Thursday. / Kris Craig/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"They're a team that's going to be prepared," Calipari said Friday. "They're going to play hard. They're going to play rough. It's going to be bump and grind. You're not getting a free layup without getting bumped. That's his teams.

"He's not pressing as much ... It's mostly man. Sometimes they'll trap. What you find out, the second-half numbers are ridiculous. They're wearing you down like you're in combat, and if you're not used to it ... hopefully we understand that.

"We talked to the kids about it, but they're good. He's done a great job with his team. That's why they're a 2 seed. That's why we were a 10 seed. That's why we're underdog this game.

"They offensive rebound like crazy. If they get 18 offensive rebounds and make 10 threes, they beat anybody in the country."

Calipari was asked how he and Pitino are similar and different but mostly played it for laughs.

"We both have big noses so that's one," he said. "He has Gucci shoes and I have itchy shoes so we're different there. I don't know. We're all going to be judged 50 years from now what we did and how we did it, but I hope years from now people will say they both get their teams to play hard at a competitive level."

The two Hall of Fame coaches got to know each other while attending Howard Garfinkel's 5 Star basketball camp. Pitino is 72 years old, six older than Calipari.

"We started in that camp and I have always looked up to him because when I was a camper he was a counselor," Calipari said. "When I became a counselor, he was a speaker. He was there with Chuck Daly and Hubie Brown and I could go on and on, and Rick Pitino."

Asked about coaching against Calipari, Pitino said, "I don't go against coaches, I go against teams. John doesn't have to worry about me. My jump shot is long gone. He's got to prepare for our team. We've got to prepare for his players. John and I don't play one-on-one anymore."

Tip off is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. Central, with CBS broadcasting the action from Amica Mutual Pavilion. Loser goes home, winner moves on to a Thursday matchup in San Francisco.

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