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Calipari, Arkansas Coaching Staff Avoiding Increasing Bubble Talks

Razorbacks inch closer to reviving once slender tournament hopes

Daniel Shi

John Calipari reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide inside Bud Walton Arena. The Crimson Tide won 85-81.
John Calipari reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide inside Bud Walton Arena. The Crimson Tide won 85-81. / Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — What a difference 12 days makes. On Jan. 30 Arkansas was 1-6 in SEC play and so far off the bubble they were reduced to the next next four out in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.

Now Arkansas is the first team out in the latest update, dangerously close to reclaiming a spot in the 68-team field. It would be the first time Arkansas would be in Lunardi's field in over a month, when Arkansas was 0-3 in SEC play on Jan. 10.

Other projections already have Arkansas in as a First Four team in Dayton, a remarkable turnaround for a team that lost its first five games in conference play.

One of Arkansas' marks against them on its resume is a Quad 2 loss to LSU in the NET Rankings in early January. The Tigers have not won a game since beating the Razorbacks in Baton Rouge and have lost their last six SEC games.

The Tigers have fallen all the way down to No. 80 in the NET Rankings and because this game is played inside Bud Walton Arena, it makes the game a Quad 3 opprtunity for Arkansas.

Should the Razorbacks lose, it would be its worst loss on the season for the Hogs, according to the NET metrics and likely undo most of the hard work the team has done over the past two weeks to get back in tournament consideration.

The Arkansas coaching staff isn't concerned about the potential ramifications that this particular game has.

"We're just going into practice every single day trying to get better," assistant coach Chuck Martin said. "Trying to improve, prepare for the next opponent. We're steering clear of those conversations."

It is an interesting role reversal from the past few weeks for Arkansas. In the games against Kentucky and Alabama, both teams viewed Arkansas as a bad loss because of how weak Arkansas' resume. Both teams are already locks for the tournament and are in positioning battles for better seeding.

Now the roles are reversed.

"[We're] just doing the best that we can do day to day and get ready for LSU," Martin said.

Tipoff between Arkansas and LSU is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

HOGS FEED:

• Calipari VICE TV docuseries gets off to solid start, low on depth

• Which remaining game looms as most important on Razorbacks' schedule?

• Did Hogs Receive Good News From Major Recruiting Target?

• WATCH: Preview of Calipari's docuseries premiering Monday

• Emotional factors, recent improvement put Hogs in rare situation

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Daniel Shi
DANIEL SHI

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