Calipari, Razorbacks Return to Scene of Past NCAA Glory

It was 29 years ago this week when the legendary coach and Arkansas crossed paths

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari has come a long way since his UMass Minutemen and the Hogs both won a pair of games at the 1996 NCAA Regional in Providence, R.I. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Forgive John Calipari and old-timers like me — the Hall of Fame coach is two years my junior — for sometimes reminiscing about the past.

Indulge me for a few minutes, though, and learn — or remember — how a young Coach Cal, just 37, was leading the nation's top-ranked team, and the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

It was 1996 and Calipari's Massachusetts Minutemen, led by national Player of the Year Marcus Camby, boasted a 31-1 record.

Yet, in their Sweet 16 game, Calipari disciplined his star player, the one who would be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft a few months later. But, we get ahead of ourselves.

After Selection Sunday and the bracket was announced, UMass, champions of the Atlantic 10 Conference, learned they would play close to home.

The Minutemen began their quest for the national championship as top seed in the East Regional, to be played in Providence, just 100 miles from their campus.

Arkansas was fresh from consecutive appearances in the national championship game under the direction of coach Nolan Richardson and leadership of All-American Corliss Williamson.

In 1994, the Razorbacks beat Naismith Hall of Famer Grant Hill and Duke 76-72 in Charlotte, just two hours from the Blue Devils' campus, to claim the NCAA Tournament title.

Scotty Thurman cemented his name in Hogs hoop history when his three-pointer found the net as the shot clock ran out with 50.7 seconds on the game clock to break a 70-70 deadlock.

Seven months later, Calipari got a good look at the Hogs to begin the 1994-95 season when his UMass team beat them 104-80 in the Tip-off Classic in Springfield, Mass., home of the Hall of Fame.

Arkansas regrouped, won its next 11 and returned to the championship in Seattle. It was UCLA's turn, though, as the Bruins beat Arkansas 89-78 behind All-American Ed O'Bannon's 30 points and 17 rebounds.

In '96, Richardson's Razorbacks were ranked No. 16 to start the season,but losses to Arizona and Michigan State dropped them to 1-2 and out of the poll, not to return that season.

Arkansas was 18-12 in the regular season, 9-7 in the SEC, and slipped into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed.

The Razorbacks were sent to Providence, same place they were ticketed this week after earning an invite to the Big Dance with a surge in the season's final six weeks.

Arkansas was an afterthought among the eight teams playing there. Besides Calipari's UMass juggernaut, there was No. 4 seed Marquette, 5 seed Penn State, 8 seed Bradley and 9 Stanford.

The Hogs might've started the trend of 12 seeds upsetting 5s because they took out Penn State in the first round, 86-80. UMass whipped 16 seed Central Florida by 22.

After the off day, the Razorbacks won their fourth in five games by topping Marquette 65-56. The Minutemen topped Stanford 79-74.

Lo and behold, the Razorbacks were dancing their way to the Sweet 16. What awaited them in Atlanta, though, was Camby and Calipari.

Arkansas' only advantage was familiarity with the Georgia Dome, where the SEC Tournament had been played the season before. It didn't help.

It didn't even matter that Calipari benched Camby for missing the team bus to the arena. Coach Cal admitted he told his highly visible 6-foot-11 star to get out of the hotel. Camby went to a mall, got stuck in traffic, and was late.

Yes, it made headlines. Yes, Calipari sent a message. Yes, it was a short-lived punishment. Camby only sat out the first 73 seconds.

UMass jumped to a 13-0 lead on the overmatched Hogs and led 71-47 before settling for a 79-63 victory as 34,614 fans watched in the converted football stadium.

Camby only played 18 minutes against Arkansas, but scored 15 points with seven rebounds and three blocks.

UMass beat Georgetown to reach the Final Four. It was a rematch against Kentucky. Calipari's club had knocked off the No. 1 Wildcats, 92-82, in the season opener, but this time it was different. Kentucky won, 81-74, to finish the Minutemen's season at 35-2.

Kentucky, coached by Rick Pitino, beat Syracuse by nine to win the national championship. Pitino coached the 'Cats one more season before taking the Boston Celtics' offer to join the NBA.

Georgia coach Tubby Smith replaced Pitino and won the 1998 national title. Calipari won the 2012 NCAA Tournament and coached Kentucky for 15 seasons before leaving for Arkansas.

Back in that '96 Arkansas-UMass game, the Hogs' top scorer with 15 points was Pat Bradley. Yes, the same Pat Bradley who is a basketball analyst on the SEC Network.

Known as "Shooter", or "Shoota" when applying Bradley's Massachusetts accent, the freshman guard made 6-of-10 shots, including half of his six three-point attempts.

Like Bradley, talented teammates Kareem Reid and Derek Hood were freshmen that season, but would each go on to terrific Razorback careers.

Bradley holds the Razorback record with 366 career 3-pointers, in 132 games. He netted 40% from beyond the arc.

Now, Bradley talks about the Hogs, still roots for them, but also holds them accountable when they're playing poorly.

He'll be watching intently when Calipari and the Razorbacks suit up for their first-round NCAA Tournament game this week in Providence.

This time, they're the 10th seed; one of a record 14 SEC teams invited to create March Madness. They face the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks of the Big 12 in the West Regional Thursday at 6:10 p.m. on CBS.

The winner likely faces Pitino, now coaching the St. John's Red Storm, the No. 2 seed in the West Regional. As you see, there is a lot of 1996 karma going on in Providence.

Arkansas-Kansas is a good match-up and could go either way. It might even swing on something as simple as a guy missing the team bus.

If Kansas' 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson somehow is late, would he be punished by the Jayhawks' Hall of Fame coach Bill Self?

If so, it might be the Hogs jumping to a 13-0 lead this time and cruising to an easy victory. After all, Arkansas has never lost in Providence, not in the NIT nor the Big Dance.

HOGS FEED:

• Razorback pitchers stifle Oral Roberts bats In midweek win

• Razorbacks use power to dominate UCA in bounceback win

• Didn't take long for new Razorbacks' lineman to know his role

• Have Razorbacks already exceeded midway expectations this season?

• Self, Jayhawks ready for 'fresh start' against suffocating Hogs

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