All Hogs

Confidence Concerns Growing for Calipari's Razorbacks

Little room left for growing pains as Arkansas digs itself into a tough hole to climb out of in SEC play.

Curtis Wilkerson

Arkansas coach John Calipari reacts on the sideline against the Florida Gators inside Bud Walton Arena. The Gators won 71-63.
Arkansas coach John Calipari reacts on the sideline against the Florida Gators inside Bud Walton Arena. The Gators won 71-63. / Nilsen Roman - Hogs On SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas' nightmare start to SEC play continued on Saturday with a hard-fought, but equally frustrating 71-63 loss to No. 8 Florida inside Bud Walton Arena.

As it stands, Arkansas is 11-5 overall, 0-3 in league play and finds itself with more questions than answers after getting run out of Knoxville then proceeding to drop consecutive home games to open the conference slate.

There were positives Saturday as the Razorbacks held the high-octane Gators to their lowest point total (71) and field goal percentage (39.1%) of the season, but several familiar red flags were raised for a team that appears to have an increasing number of players struggling to find their way.

"This isn't easy for me, for our team, for our coaches, for me, it is what it is," Calipari said. "Let's go on to the next one. Get this thing going."

That's the spirit, sure, but in order to right the ship and start picking off elusive and much-needed wins, Arkansas not only needs all of its pieces to assume their rightful place in the puzzle, it needs them to start producing and playing with more confidence and consistent energy.

A couple glaring issues against Florida was a 2 of 16 struggle on layups combined with 11 missed free throws.

Failing to convert the two easiest shots in basketball is not a skill issue so much as a mental block, which was apparent on a few point blank attempts where the Razorbacks appeared to have the yips in the lane.

"Free throws, open shots, most of that stuff is mentality," Calipari said. "I've just go to hold them accountable, let them know what's acceptable and what's not, and keep building them up."

As Johnell Davis reverted back to frustrating form with an 0-8 performance, his counterpart on the wing, Karter Knox, struggled himself and went 1 for 7 from the floor.

Arkansas' other two guards, Boogie Fland and D.J. Wagner, were a little better, but the quartet's 8 for 39 shooting just simply is not good enough to win many games in the SEC.

So, is it a confidence issue for the Razorbacks?

"Maybe," Calipari said. "This is a tough game. There were guys on the team that were missing shots and I created shots for them, trying to build their confidence, and they missed those.

"If you really want to play this sport, what do you do when you're not playing well? What are you adding to the game?

Those are great questions from Calipari, although he is the one that needs to produce the answers.

John Calipari reacts during the second half against Florida at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari reacts during the second half against the Florida Gators at Bud Walton Arena. Florida won 71-63. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

On Saturday, a missed layup or free throw by Arkansas almost always bled over to the ensuing defensive possession. For whatever reason, one mistake continues to become two, especially in critical junctures for the Razorbacks.

Meanwhile, Florida showed poise and a short-term memory as it had answer after answer, while delivering multiple daggers to steal a gutsy road win.

Maybe Calipari's lessons on teaching his team how to win were further delayed by the snowy conditions in Northwest Arkansas. Or maybe the Razorbacks really are that far behind due to a string of bad luck with injuries and illness to an already thin roster.

Regardless, Arkansas has dug itself into a deep hole and has its work cut out if it is going to dig its way out and come anywhere near preseason expectations.

There always needs to be a measure of patience in the process, but Arkansas fans have grown restless in general and are itching to start seeing the results show up in the win column.

"There are other teams around the country that got new teams and they’re playing better," Calipari said. "But we didn’t get to scrimmage. So all that stuff starts adding up.

"We did some good stuff. Not enough. Not enough. Now we got to figure out what enough is."

HOGS FEED:

• Seven former Razorbacks have qualified for NFL playoffs

• Anemic offense troubles Hogs, lose third straight in SEC

• Recruiting coup, blockbuster schedule puts Hogs in spotlight as season looms

• Arkansas steps into role of big dog against last season's entire Top 4 programs

• Discouraged Razorbacks fans need to help by looking in the mirror

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Curtis Wilkerson
CURTIS WILKERSON

Curtis is in his fifth year on the beat covering Arkansas basketball, football, baseball and recruiting. Prior to his time in Fayetteville, he spent eight years coaching basketball at the small-college level in Illinois and spent two years contributing as a scout and recruiting analyst with Prep Hoops. He holds a bachelor's degree in Athletic Training and a master's in Administration.

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