Calipari Ready to Roll With Shortened Bench Again at LSU

Razorbacks' coach ready to use shortened bench to his advantage going into Tuesday battle against Tigers

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the sidelines against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Despite being down two key players on Saturday against Mississippi State, the No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks were still able to cruise to an 88-68 victory at the Humphrey Coliseum.

Neither guard D.J. Wagner (ankle) or starting small forward Karter Knox (knee) were available against the Bulldogs, severely limiting coach John Calipari's rotation going into an arena Arkansas hasn't traditionally played well.

Both Wagner and Knox were considered doubtful for the game Friday night, but the Razorbacks' coaching staff provided an update around two hours prior to the game that they would be out.

heir availability for Tuesday night's game at LSU is to be determined, but Calipari didn't provide a promising update during his postgame interview Saturday afternoon.

“I haven’t talked to anybody,” Calipari said. “They’re probably questionable, I would say, for Tuesday.”

The absence of the Hogs' duo was somewhat of a surprise considering there was hardly a word spoken about either of them missing action. Calipari said he attempted to get both players ready, but knew it would be a challenge for Wagner given the nature of his game.

"I knew [Knox’s] knee was bothering him,” Calipari said. “I knew after the [Kentucky] game that it would be hard [to get him back for Saturday], but we were telling him, ‘Try to get yourself ready.’

"DJ [Wagner], again, here’s a guy that plays so hard, fights so hard, he can’t go at 80% the way he plays. He’s got to be healthy."

Knox has been available for the majority of the season after missing the season opener against Southern on Nov. 3. However, Wagner has been a steady factor in the starting lineup or rotation in every game of his Arkansas career, Saturday was the first game he missed due to injury since his freshman season at Kentucky.

If Knox and Wagner each miss Tuesday's game against the Tigers, it'll give Calipari an abbreviated lineup, which is something he isn't afraid to run with given his coaching history. He even did it last season when the Razorbacks could never truly stay healthy from its 1-6 start in SEC play all the way through a run to the Sweet 16, Arkansas was never fully healthy.

"Playing a shorter rotation, I've done this before," Calipari said postgame. "I did it at UMass when we played five or six guys. I did it at Memphis with five or six guys. I did it at Kentucky.

Arkansas Razorbacks wing Isaiah Sealy lining up on the free-throw line against the Southern Jaguars in a game at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

"Those teams were teams that had a chance to do whatever they wanted. So, if that's what it is, it is what it is. But, it'll be nice to have a full team."

One guy who will likely benefit from a shortened bench is true freshman Isaiah Sealy, who came out of nowhere to finish with six points on the day, including tenacious defense and energy on both ends.

Arkansas will be looking to string together back-to-back victories on the road for the first time in SEC play with Tuesday's game at LSU inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Tipoff in Baton Rouge is set for 8 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.