Calipari Monologue Mirrors Relief, Joy Felt by Razorbacks

Arkansas finally beats SEC foe by dominating Dawgs in game's final 15 minutes

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Adou Thiero, who scored the Hogs' final five points, is bear-hugged by forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) after the Hogs ended a five-game losing streak by beating the Georgia Bulldogs 68-65 at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Mostly, it was relief. Also jubilation. Perhaps a bit of vindication because Arkansas finally made the winning plays. Finally, the Razorbacks forced crucial mistakes by the other team. Finally, the Hogs found a way to win an SEC game.

And finally, coach John Calipari could hold his head high and bask in the limelight reserved for winners. It was only one victory but one of the most important in the Hall of Fame coach's career -- not for what it means in the standings, but because it restored belief and hope in his players' minds and hearts.

When it was over and the Razorbacks had scored seven of the last nine points to beat Georgia 68-65 Wednesday night in Bud Walton Arena, all the agony and stress from their 0-5 start in SEC play was suddenly gone, replaced by a joyous celebration.

The disappointment, frustration and heartache that grew and grew during their five consecutive defeats was exorcised by an Adou Thiero free throw with 1.8 seconds left. He missed the second -- just the Hogs' fifth miss in 34 free throws -- but grabbed the rebound in the middle of four Bulldogs and banked home a running bank shot to put an exclamation point on the Hogs' most satisfying win of the season.

Calipari had rallied his team from a 15-point deficit with 15:24 remaining. The Hogs outscored Georgia 35-17 by out-working the Bulldogs, grabbing one offensive rebound after another and parading to the free throw line.

A gratified Calipari appeared on the SEC Network post-game show before joining his players in the locker room. He took three questions but basically delivered a lengthy monologue explaining how difficult the last 19 days have been for his team. You could see the weight of the world somehow lifted from his shoulders.

"We needed to just win a game," Calipari said, "just so we'd have a different mindset." He called it "a great win" and emphasized this: "We've never given up on a game this year. These kids fight. I tell you, we've got great kids."

One player they likely won't have the rest of the season is freshman point guard Boogie Fland, the team's second leading scorer who plays more minutes than anyone in the SEC at 34:07 per game. He underwent successful surgery in New York City on Wednesday. The Hogs had two practices to figure out how to adjust without Fland, their primary ball handler.

"His surgery was great," Calipari said. "He needed to have it done. He shouldn't have played the two games he played. He wanted to play (against Georgia). The doc looked at him and said, 'I cannot believe you played two games with that thumb the way it was.' So we had to play without him in two days.

"I thought the greatest thing was we fought and we just hung around. We may be a grind it out team. I know everybody wants to play certain ways but we may be a grind it team.

"I know we're not great, but we're pretty good," he continued. He told the Hogs to "have more fun than anybody else. If you don't, you can't get this going."

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari nearly busts a button on his sport coat during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Like a lot of coaches, he simply went stream of consciousness. "I just want to write a story at the end of this year about what we did and what we went through," he said. "We practiced three weeks with five guys. We've been up against it.

"You know what, these kids come every day -- and so does the staff. We were in there eight hours Sunday, trying to figure out without Boogie, how are we doing this. Watching FAU tape so I could make sure how we're playing Nelly (Johnell Davis) was basically how they played him."

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Johnell "Nelly" Davis (1) drives against Georgia Bulldogs guard Dakota Leffew (1) during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Davis and DJ Wagner, who assumed point guard duties, both shot just 3-for-14 but played hard and took care of the ball. Calipari had encouraged Davis to shoot but he made just 1-of-10 treys. Calipari seems convinced -- based on Davis shooting nearly 42% from deep a year ago while scoring 18.2 a game -- that the coveted portal transfer will find the range soon.

The Hogs shot a measly 31% and made only 3-of-23 from beyond the 3-point arc. But they out-rebounded Georgia by 10, allowed only eight offensive boards while grabbing 18 of their own, and shot 85% at the charity stripe, making nine more than the Dawgs.

Calipari referred to "this gauntlet of a schedule" to start SEC play: at then-No. 1 Tennessee; hosting No. 23 Ole Miss and No. 8 Florida; plus road games at LSU and Missouri.

"What we're going through is going to make me a better coach and them better players," he said. "You gotta figure it out. You gotta try different things. And you gotta be there for these kids. If I'm hurting, they're really hurting. If I'm tired, they're exhausted. If I'm not coming in with a great attitude, what do you expect theirs to be?"

All Coach Cal talked about at Wednesday's pre-game shootaround "was enthusiasm." The Hogs had it in the last 15 minutes. And exceptional energy. And a relentless desire to win. Now they've got to do it again when Oklahoma invades Walton Arena at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Sometimes, one win is all it takes for a team to catch fire. That won't happen unless the Hogs make shots. They beat Georgia with guts and a refuse-to-lose attitude. It wasn't pretty but it was satisfying -- and encouraging -- for the players and Calipari.

Now, instead of thinking they are 0-5, they'll simply know and feel down deep that they won the last one. That makes the next one easier.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs injured freshman celebrates with team after first sec win

• Razorbacks notch first SEC win In most unlikely fashion

• Arkansas finally plays like Razorbacks so fans treat them that way

• REACTION: Hogs capture momentum in final moments for first SEC win

• Arkansas pulls off dramatic comeback in final second for first SEC win

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