Calipari's 'done a fabulous job,' Rece Davis talks Hogs on the Pat McAffee show

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've noticed the outpour of national media hoping on the bandwagon of Arkansas basketball. The latest personalities to take interest in Arkansas' Sweet Sixteen story is Pat McAfee and ESPN host Rece Davis.

On the Pat McAfee show yesterday, the former NFL punter had Davis on to talk about the NCAA Tournament. When the conversation turned to John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks, McAfee and Davis sounded in awe of the quasi-Cinderella team.

Rece Davis talks John Calipari, Arkansas with Pat McAfee

"Let's talk about Calipari, with the job he did with this Arkansas team... They didn't even have a team," said McAfee. "And the way Calipari tells you, he's like, 'We don't even have a locker room!' was, basically, what he was saying in the entirety. Now, they go 0-5 to begin the season against the SEC. Now, they're in a sweet 16."

While Calipari, indeed, arrived in Fayetteville without a team, he did bring in three transfers from Kentucky and three five-star Wildcat pledges, so it's a bit of a stretch to say Calipari 'didn't have a team.' Nevertheless, he still had to recruit them again and convince his players to make the switch, so Cal deserves his flowers.

However, turning a team around after starting 0-5 in conference play is incredibly impressive. Injuries plagued Arkansas, even while making the turn toward March Madness. So, what Cal did was nothing short of miraculous.

McAfee then asked Davis about Coach Cal's legacy after his first season with the Hogs. "When you talk about goat conversations, Calipari's in it. So is Pitino, I guess. So is [Michigan State head coach Tom] Izzo. Like, where does Calipari rank in all that, and what does this year's team look like in comparison to his previous teams, Rece?"

"I mean, they're not nearly as deep. They're talented, but certainly not as talented as some of his great Kentucky teams," said Davis. "But you're looking at a team now that is two wins away from making John Calipari the first coach to take four different programs to the Final Four. Four. We thought Pitino might be the guy to do that because he also has taken three, and now, it's Cal with a 10 seed. The, you know, the depth of Cinderella is suddenly John Calipari and Arkansas with a double-digit seed in the Sweet Sixteen."

For all intents and purposes, Arkansas isn't a double-digit seed. It's a team with the talent of a 3-5 seed masquerading as a 10 seed. It doesn't mean college basketball fans should feel differently about Arkansas, though. What it's done is remarkable, but the Hogs have the talent to compete with all 15 teams left in the field, even if they are the underdogs against all 15.

"I think it's one of his best coaching jobs," Davis continued. "And while I think he was underappreciated at the end at Kentucky, I think the fresh — if you want to use the metaphor — a fresh shot clock was really good for both parties. It was good for Kentucky, and it was good for John."

Davis hits the nail on the head. If it were a trade, Coach Cal to Arkansas was the definition of a win-win. Not only is Arkansas in the Sweet Sixteen, but Kentucky's new coach, Mark Pope, has led the Wildcats to the second weekend, too — something Calipari couldn't do the last few seasons. Pope also had to start the roster from scratch but has found a winning formula with his brand-new team.

"[Calipari's] done a fabulous job with [Arkansas], and he seemed like the old Cal yesterday. We had him on [College] GameDay yesterday morning, and he's cracking jokes and being self-effacing and, you know, talking about all the things that have gone wrong and all of this stuff. S, he seems to be in his element, a little bit of an underdog, and he seems to enjoy life a little more."