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High Point Coach Wants Big-Time Opponent, Razorbacks Can Oblige

Panthers desire respect, but what they'll get is heavy dose of All-American Acuff, high-flying Hogs
Bob Stephens|
Arkansas Razorbacks Darius Acuff drives against Hawaii in their first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday in Portland, Ore.
Arkansas Razorbacks Darius Acuff drives against Hawaii in their first-round NCAA Tournament game Thursday in Portland, Ore. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksHigh Point Panthers

There's an old adage in life and sports: Be careful what you wish for. In the case of High Point coach Flynn Clayman, what he gets are the high-flying Arkansas Razorbacks.

We'll find out late Saturday night if Clayman's upset-minded No. 12-seeded Panthers can stun March Madness enthusiasts one more time by taking down the No. 4 seed Hogs and their Hall of Fame coach John Calipari.

Clayman made headlines throughout the sports world Thursday after his high-octane Panthers nipped No. 5 Wisconsin, 83-82.

He vehemently argued that power conference programs should willingly play top-notch mid-major teams during the regular-season.

Of course, the big schools would rather play middle-of-the-pack small schools so there's not a big chance of losing.

Clayman knows this, of course, but he's in the position of not getting marquee match-ups and thus little respect from media and fans.

"It's time for the big major schools to play us mid-majors," he demanded. "Stop running."

High Point has Calipari's respect

The talk following Selection Sunday was that High Point hadn't played a quality team while going 30-4 prior to beating the Badgers. Clayman took offense that his team isn't talented, that it's simply a small school with small-time players who don't deserve a higher seeding.

With a reported $4 million NIL budget, Clayman has attracted lots of talent.

“It looks pretty obvious to me that high-majors need to play mid-majors during the season because they said we ain’t played nobody," Clayman said moments after High Point dispatched Wisconsin. "We played somebody now."

It was historic for the school. High Point was 0-57 against power conference schools before beating the Badgers.

Clayman's team has the longest active winning streak at 15 games, but none of those except Wisconsin are against what would be called a quality opponent.

The Razorbacks are battle tested against top-level competition and are No. 15 in the Net Rankings while High Point is 75th.

Tip-off Saturday in Portland between the Hogs and Panthers is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

Panthers want fast pace and Hogs will gladly comply

Like the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, High Point didn't play a Quad 1 opponent — that means a power conference program having a decent season — until Thursday.

Clayman can say his team and Miami (Ohio) are both 1-0 against Quad 1 teams as they knocked off Wisconsin and No. 11 seed SMU. But here's the whole story:

High Point is 0-2 this season against Quad 2 teams. They're 5-2 against Quad 3s and built their impressive 31-4 record by beating their own kind for a 22-0 mark against Quad 4s.

Against Wisconsin, the Panthers were down 10 early and eight in the second half but prevailed, using their high-octane offense to keep pace and win in the final minute.

Big question is whether they can hang with the high-flying Hogs, who flushed 22 dunks against Hawaii on break aways, put-back slams, and lob after lob to the rim.

Trevon Brazile, Malique Ewin, Billy Richmond III and DJ Wagner thrilled Razorback fans by catching lob after lob for dunks in the halfcourt set or on the break.

High Point has good athletes also and Clayman's style is to push the pace. The Hogs will willingly oblige.

So is it fool's good for the Panthers to run with the Hogs? Maybe, but both teams will stick with their style.

Clayman figures his team is going to the Sweet 16 and Arkansas is just the next big-time program to be in the way.

Get your popcorn ready

Both teams average about 90 points per game, so the pace should suit both sides. It's unlikely the Panthers can keep pace with the Hogs, who put on a show in the game that followed High Point's win.

So Clayman, his staff and his players know the challenge they face because teams always hang around to see who they'll play next and so their coaches can conduct in-person scouting.

What they saw was first-team All-American point guard Darius Acuff and his talented Arkansas teammates make play after play good enough to be in ESPN SportsCenter's top 10.

Still, Clayman told his team they're good enough to rip the Razorbacks, and good enough to play into April at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Coach Cal warns Hogs to be on point

Calipari wants the Razorbacks to understand how good High Point is and the potential tough task ahead. He's watched plenty of tape and even recruited Panthers star Cam'Ron Fletcher, who played a season under Calipari at Kentucky.

He is High Point's third-leading scorer (12.7) behind Terry Anderson (16.0) and Fletcher's childhood friend Rob Martin (15.6).

The Hogs are11.5-point favorites, but Calipari hopes the Hogs aren't buying into that because point spreads mean little when March Madness is in full bloom.

High Point might surprise fans again or could suffer a fate similar to Hawaii, which trailed Arkansas 11-0 and 20-4 before getting comfortable.

No matter who wins, it'll be a great story for next weekend's Sweet 16. Either the unknown High Point Panthers are the darlings of the tournament or Calipari and Acuff are a team nobody wants to face.

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Bob Stephens
BOB STEPHENS

Bob Stephens won more than a dozen awards as a sportswriter and columnist in Northwest Arkansas from 1980 to 2003. He started as a senior for the 1975 Fayetteville Bulldogs’ state championship basketball team, and was drafted that summer in the 19th round by the St. Louis Cardinals but signed instead with Norm DeBriyn's Razorbacks, playing shortstop and third base. Bob has written for the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, New Jersey Star-Ledger, and many more. He covered the Razorbacks in three Final Fours, three College World Series, six New Year’s Day bowl games, and witnessed many track national championships. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Pati. Follow on X: @BobHogs56

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