'If we'd won that game... We're in the tournament,' Calipari fired up after A&M loss

Turnovers and scoring droughts cost John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks in key SEC matchup at College Station as Texas A&M Aggies wrestle 69-61 victory away from visiting Hogs.
Feb 15, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies forward Andersson Garcia (11) and Arkansas Razorbacks forward Karter Knox (11) battle for a loose ball during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Feb 15, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies forward Andersson Garcia (11) and Arkansas Razorbacks forward Karter Knox (11) battle for a loose ball during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

With their defense pitching an early shutout and their offense on the attack, it appeared John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks (15-10, 4-8 SEC) were primed to get another quality win on the road and fortify their recently-earned status as an NCAA Tournament worthy squad. The No. 8 ranked Texas A&M Aggies (20-5, 9-3 SEC) quickly turned the tables and eventually took advantage of 17 Arkansas turnovers and a 34-to-22 inside scoring advantage to secure 69-61 win over Arkansas Saturday in College Station Texas.

Everything John Calipari and the players said after loss to Texas A&M

"(The Aggies) have figured out the most important thing when you're coaching, how to win games," said Arkansas coach John Calipari. "Like, maybe not play great, yet win. You'll look at our team and say, if they're eighth in the country, what the heck is Arkansas?"

After an 0-5 start to SEC play in his first season at Arkansas, the loss to the A&M drops Arkansas a 4-3 over their last seven contests with a trip up next to face No. 1 ranked Auburn. The Tigers ended any debate about their status on Saturday by soundly handling arch-rival and No. 2 ranked Alabama on the road. Also ahead of the Razorbacks next week is a home game next Saturday against No. 21 ranked Missouri.

Coming out of this weekend's round of competition, the Southeastern Conference is expected to have five of the top six ranked teams in the country. Additionally No. 15 Kentucky, No. 19 Ole Miss, Missouri and No. 22 Mississippi State also find themselves in the AP Top 25 with teams like Arkansas, Texas, Vanderbilt and Georgia all on the outside looking in while sitting on NCAA Tournament bubbles that could burst at any time.

"In this league, you could be a top 20 team, but you've lost every game to top 15 teams," Calipari said. "That's what this is. So we gotta figure out, and we have some (opportunities). But the big part of this is because we fight every game. We defend, and they didn't have many offensive rebounds."

Arkansas was led Saturday by freshman guard Karter Knox whose 17 points and five rebounds helped keep the Razorbacks in the game throughout. The Aggies boasted one of the best rebounding teams in the country but got out rebounded by Arkansas 30-28. Still, it wasn't enough to secure a much-needed conference win.

Agonizing offense

The deciding factor Saturday however was Texas A&M's ability to force 17 turnovers which led to 22 points. Despite not having any player over 6-9 in the game, the Aggies outscored Arkansas 34-22 in the paint while Arkansas continued to miss point-blank shots at the rim and open three pointers.

Arkansas' starting backcourt of point guard DJ Wagner and sennior shooting guard Johnell Davis scored 11 points combined on five-of-19 shooting overall and 1-of-9 from three-point range. Together with backup point guard Billy Richmond, the Razorback back court had 11 turnovers. Arkansas' leading scorer, forward Adou Theiro ,finished with 10 points on two-of-six shooting, but also had three turnovers of his own.

Calipari said afterwards that — outside of Knox — his team failed to knocked down open shots when the opportunities presented themselves.

"We had a great heart to heart in there," Calipari said. "I had them come in the other locker room and we have some guys that have got to play better.

"You cannot can they put it on minutes? 'I'm afraid I'm gonna come out.' Can they say that? Come on. Say no because you're playing in thirty five minutes. Can you say, 'Well, I'm afraid I'll come out if I make a mistake? Not if you're playing thirty five minutes. That's one off the table. So now why are you tentative?"

No fear Aggies

By contrast Texas A&M's more experienced team exhibited the kind of fearlessness through out the game that Calipari has been waiting to see from his team all season. Aggie guard Zhuric Phelps led all players in the game with nine rebounds while adding 12 points — many of them in the paint off offensive rebounds. Meanwhile his backcourt mate, senior Wade Taylor led all scorers with 18 points — including three crucial three pointers that sparked his team at key moments in the game.

"I would say that's the highest number of field goal attempts he's had all season — in a power four game for sure," said Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams. "But those were all the right shots. And also, I think that that's probably his highest number of field goal attempts because you don't want to be guarded as a non attacker, a non shooter. And if you look at, the volume of shots that (Phelps) attempted, which is low. But what percentage of those shots have been from three? In my opinion, it's too high. It's not because he can't shoot.

"Everybody knows when he's gonna shoot the three. Our program knows. But it's too high of a percentage of his total shots coming from three, and I thought his attacks today he's probably attacking for an assist. But when he attacks and plays off two feet and can score and or get fouled, really helps our team."

Where was Big Z?

Coming into the game Arkansas' 7-2 stretch big man, Zvonimir Ivisic — who had 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks in another solid effort on Saturday — was limited to only 20 minutes in the game due to a combination of early foul trouble and defensive lapses. Ivisic had scored 27 and 25 points in the previous two SEC contests to assume Arkansas' leading role on offense coming into the game. He came on late with a pair of three pointers to keep his team close, however Calipari said afterwards his staff will have to come up with strategies to keep Ivisic on the floor and help him on the defensive end of the floor.

"The reason I didn't play Z Moore, if you were watching the game, why didn't I play him more? ...He got scored on and he didn't block. Then, I've got to go with the other guy. Jonas (Aidoo) played well. Jonas played the way I needed him to play. The surgery set him back, but Jonas played.

Aidoo, a 6-11 senior who transferred from Tennessee, has been hampered by a lower leg injury all season. He contributed four points, three rebounds, a steal and a block on Saturday.

"I may have to play both of those two together to get the offense, and figure out defensively what we're going to do and how we're going to play," Calipari said. "And that means Adou maybe take a little more of a back seat."

Learning Retention

Despite having a hall of fame coach and one of the more talented rosters in a conference stacked with talent on the floor and the coaching seat, Arkansas came into the season with one of the youngest teams in a conference many consider to be one of the deepest in NCAA history. Williams credited his team's experience and ability to play together with giving them a fighting edge so far this season.

"We do not have the best players. We do not, I am not a hall of fame coach as I mentioned yesterday," Williams said. "Coach (Calipari) has been in the hall of fame almost as long as I've been a head coach, but I tend to agree that no matter your talent level, if you all get together for the first time and pop firecrackers on July, you have not accumulated the reps of the group we have. We're not more talented than they are, and I'm not a better coach. But we have accrued a lot of reps that matter, and we've got our heads knocked in a bunch."

Calipari's young Razorbacks have definitely taken their lumps so far this season. Arkansas has had to overcome the loss of the team's second leading scorer in freshman point guard Boogie Fland along with several other key pieces battling through injuries as illnesses. However with only six games left in the regular season, time and opportunities to figure things out are running thin at Arkansas.

Calipari said whether he and his players can retain the lessons learned each week against SEC competition will determine where his team lands this season.

" Buzz said it best. The number one thing is retention," Calipari said. "Like, we're playing teams that have been together, and we're throwing guys together. I had no team. I'm not into excuses. I still think I've got a good group. But we had no team, no staff, no schedule, nothing. And Buzz, his number one thing was retention. And guess what? It's paid off."

The road ahead

What the payoff in lessons learned for Arkansas still remains to be seen. With many national prognosticators still giving Arkansas a chance to earn an NCAA tournament bid, Calipari sees his job as finding a way to hold players accountable without undermining their confidence.

"Normally, you say you are what your record says you are. But in this league, the way this is, you just gotta get it going at the right time, and I thought we did," he said. "Alabama's really good too. This (A&M) team is really good.

"Guess what? We had a chance (to win) both of them, but we didn't. And for us to bust through, we're going have to beat somebody. We can say what we want. Like, I wanted to make sure they weren't happy (losing, but) we're going to be okay. Now If we'd won that game, say it. We're in the tournament. If we won that game, we're in the tournament. So it's not okay to say we'll be alright. Now you're gonna have to go get somebody else."

Schedule

Schedule