Calipari Sees Growth as Arkansas Grinds Through Snowy Home Win

John Calipari didn’t talk Saturday night like a coach who had just survived a scare.

He talked like a coach who learned something about his team.

On a freezing night in Fayetteville, with snow and sleet swirling around Bud Walton Arena, Arkansas found itself in an uncomfortable spot. The Razorbacks were favored.They were at home. They were ranked. And for most of the first half, they looked none of those things.

Still, Arkansas walked out with an 85-81 win over LSU, stayed undefeated at home, and moved to 5-2 in SEC play. It wasn’t clean. It wasn’t smooth. But it was the kind of night Calipari seems to value more than blowouts.

“We weren’t very good in the first half,” Calipari said on the radio postgame show. “They had more emotion. They played harder. They were more locked in than we were.”

That matters, because the Hogs didn’t hide from the struggle. LSU pushed Arkansas around early. The Razorbacks trailed 37-33 at halftime and fell behind by eight early in the second half. The building was loud, but the game felt uneasy.

Calipari admitted he was surprised it wasn’t worse.

“I was stunned we were only down four,” he said.

What changed wasn’t one shot or one player. It was a collective shift. Arkansas started defending with purpose. The ball moved better. The energy matched the crowd, which had shown up despite weather that screamed “stay home.”

Before the game, Calipari had asked season-ticket holders to give their seats to students. More than 2,000 tickets were turned back. About 1,500 went to students, with others handed to teachers, military veterans, and police officers.

After the final buzzer, Calipari made sure the crowd knew it mattered.

“I’ve got to thank all of you in this weather for showing up,” he said over the public address system. “And our students got the best tickets they’ve ever had.”

The Razorbacks fed off that energy as the second half wore on. Arkansas erased the deficit, took its first lead midway through the half, and never trailed again. The Hogs weren’t perfect. They missed free throws. They left the door open. But they didn’t panic.

Acuff broke his career high... again 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/3SyzSuQPdF
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 25, 2026

That’s the part Calipari kept coming back to.

“Throughout the league, a bunch of people got beat today,” he said. “We weren’t one of them.”

Arkansas shot the ball well enough to survive. The Razorbacks went 34 of 60 from the floor and hit 10 three-pointers. The foul line was another story. Arkansas went just 7 of 18, which kept the game tighter than it needed to be.

Still, the Hogs executed when it mattered most. Out of a late timeout, Calipari called a play he trusted.

“The play out of the timeout, I told TB, ‘Throw the dagger,’” Calipari said. “He threw the dagger. He’s capable of that.”

Trevon Brazile’s three-pointer gave Arkansas breathing room, but Calipari’s praise didn’t stop there. He pointed to contributions up and down the roster, especially from players who weren’t at full strength.

“Nick and Karter were sick and played anyway,” Calipari said.

Karter Knox and Nick Pringle both logged meaningful minutes despite not feeling well. It wasn’t glamorous, but it fit the night. This wasn’t a highlight-reel win. It was a grit win.

Calipari also credited Meleek Thomas for keeping Arkansas steady during key stretches.

“Meleek Thomas made shots when we needed them to stay in the game,” he said.

That theme ran throughout the postgame conversation. Calipari didn’t dwell on rankings or records. He talked about response. He talked about resilience. He talked about showing up when conditions weren’t ideal.

He even admitted he expected the arena to be nearly empty.

“I was thinking all day we were going to have 2,000 people here,” Calipari said. “And all of a sudden I walk in and I’m like, ‘This is crazy.’”

SPLASH ZONE 💦 pic.twitter.com/Y7m50jZXVv
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 25, 2026

Attendance was announced as 19,200 tickets sold, though actual attendance appeared closer to 10,000 or more. Much of the lower bowl was full. Fans were scattered in the upper deck. It wasn’t perfect, but it was loud enough.

“For you to do that,” Calipari told fans, “your impact in this program and your impact in these games is great.”

As snow fell again outside the arena and fans filtered out into freezing temperatures, Calipari had one last reminder.

“Be safe driving home,” he said.

Arkansas didn’t dominate Saturday night. The Razorbacks didn’t overwhelm. What they did was endure. And to Calipari, that mattered.

Sometimes the lesson sticks longer than the score.

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