SEC Coach Has Devastating One-Word Description of John Calipari After 0–5 Start in League

Calipari's first year in Fayetteville has not been going according to plan.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari is off to a pedestrian start in Fayetteville.
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari is off to a pedestrian start in Fayetteville. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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The Arkansas Razorbacks certainly have an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament in coach John Calipari's first season in Fayetteville.

Following Saturday's 18-point loss at the hands of Missouri, Calipari's Razorbacks are now 11–7 on the season and 0–5 in SEC play.

Calipari and his old Kentucky teams were a fixture in March, and the expectation heading into this season was that Arkansas could make the tournament in his first year at the helm. So what's changed?

One SEC coach told college basketball insider Jeff Goodman anonymously that Calipari is struggling with the new era of college hoops.

"They have a ton of individual talent, but none of their pieces fit. None of them," the coach said about Calipari. "I don't think Calipari and his staff can adapt. ... There's just no fear now when I see him on the other sideline. The game has changed and he is becoming archaic."

Even in a new job, Calipari's struggles have remained the same. There's been too much of a reliance on athleticism and not enough of a reliance on shooting. The Wildcats rank 115th nationally in scoring offense and 202nd in three-point efficiency following Saturday's defeat.


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.