There's no way to spin it — the Arkansas Razorbacks (11-6, 0-4 SEC) are playing bad basketball right now, and it culminated in a 78-74 loss to the LSU Tigers (12-5, 1-3 SEC) on Tuesday night.
The Razorbacks actually played some of their best ball of league play in spurts against the Tigers, but that's not saying much considering how poorly they've played in their other three losses.
"This is the third or fourth game, we get up 12, and all of a sudden, you turn around and (the lead is gone)," Calipari said after the game Tuesday. " I thought we were prepared for that moment, but a couple turnovers, missed shots, and I'll watch the tape, but they out scrapped us. I mean we did some half-decent stuff, but not enough."
Arkansas held LSU to 40% shooting from the field and 36.4% shooting from three, but the Tigers hit eight shots from deep and out-rebounded the Hogs, 39-37, with 12 offensive boards — a stat that has plagued Arkansas since SEC play started.
The main thorn in Arkansas' side Tuesday was LSU guard Cam Carter. The former Kansas State guard went off for 27 points and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line.
"He's a good player and he can create his own shot," Calipari said. "He was going at the rim, he was pulling up, he was making threes. He did it a bunch of different ways."
The Tigers also got a boost from Daimion Collins, who played for Calipari at Kentucky before transferring to LSU. He logged just seven points but had 10 rebounds, three of which were offensive boards, and he blocked four shots.
For Arkansas, one of the main issues was at the free throw line, though it wasn't the same issue it usually is. In games past, the Razorbacks struggled to convert when they got to the line. Tuesday night, they could barely get to the line at all.
The Hogs only attempted 13 free throws in the game. To their credit, they made 11 of those, but they also put LSU on the free throw line 28 times and the Tigers converted 26 of those attempts. Calipari isn't blaming the referees for that discrepancy, though.
"I thought some of the stuff, we were just reaching in," Calipari said. "I mean, we must have, in the first half, and then you’re fouling their two best free throw shooters, and you know they’re going to ball fake to the rim. So, but again, I got to watch the tape. For me to sit here and get into that deep, but we were reaching in."
Calipari also shouldered the brunt of the blame for his team's winless start to conference play, and said he's not close to giving up yet.
"I thought we played more joy than we have," Calipari said. "I know I coached that way, but I got to do a better job. And I told them after the game, I'm not cracking, so let's just keep going. Let's get ready for the next one."
The Razorbacks are on the road again for their next matchup, as they will travel to Columbia, Missouri, to take on the Tigers. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and the game will air on the SEC Network.
