With its eyes set on making a strong final push to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, the Arkansas basketball team (15-10, 4-8 SEC) dropped a winnable Quad 1 game to No. 8 Texas A&M on Saturday at Reed Arena.
Turnovers, missed shots and a lack of killer instinct down the stretch doomed a massive resume booster for Arkansas, and coach John Calipari said he gave his team a "heart-to-heart" in the locker room after the loss.
"For us to bust through, we're going to have to beat somebody," coach John Calipari said after the game. "We can say what we want, like, I wanted to make sure (the team wasn't) happy (in the postgame locker room). ‘We're going to be okay.’ No, if we won that game, 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 all right!"
It's not often that Calipari raises his voice when talking to the media, but he did Saturday. Why? It may have something to do with the fine line Calipari alluded that he has to walk to nurture his team's mentality.
"Now you're going to have to go get somebody else," Calipari said. "I didn't want to put that on them, because I got some guys a little bit fragile, so I'm having to hold them accountable but keep picking them up. They're a little fragile. But when you're losing some games or you're not playing well, that happens. I still love coaching these guys, but I gotta hold them accountable."
After its upcoming road tilt against No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday, Arkansas has a stretch of winnable games vs. Missouri, vs. Texas, at South Carolina, at Vanderbilt and vs. Mississippi State.
To feel good about its postseason chances, the Razorbacks likely need to finish with an 8-10 SEC record. That means winning four of their final six games, which won't be possible unless some players respond to Calipari's message of urgency.
"I needed to say it (after the game)," Calipari said. "But I said it and it wasn't mean. I wasn't cussing, I wasn't yelling, I was matter of factly. 'Look, do you understand this was the game, so it's not okay. This was it and you had your chance.' The crowd was quiet. No, you don't understand. I said to my team, 'I don't hear anything.'
"We were in great shape. And then turnover, out of bounds play. Boom. Miss an offensive rebound. Immediately kick it out. We turn it over. They make a three and all of a sudden, you're looking at seven to eight (point deficit). What just happened?...Kind of glad how we played. But I'm disappointed in the turnovers, the missed shots, the opportunities."
Up next, Arkansas will play at No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and it will air on ESPN.
