Hogs Lace Up Dancing Shoes; Face Kansas in NCAA Tourney

Calipari's first season at Arkansas required patience, persistence and improvement

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks with guard Johnell Davis during their SEC Tournament victory over South Carolina on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

John Calipari's first Arkansas team traveled a tortuous road that included heartache and joy, disappointment and redemption, and finally brought the Razorbacks to the destination they desired: A berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Amazingly, the Hogs have come full circle, since their first matchup of the season was a preseason game against Kansas, the team they'll play in the first round of the three-week extravanza known affectionately as the Big Dance.

Arkansas players had to be full of reserved confidence throughout Selection Sunday but were probably still fearful their name might not be called.

The suspense lasted longer than they wished as the Hogs finally learned their fate when the final regional pairings were announced. Arkansas is a No. 10 seed and matched against the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks in a Thursday game in Providence, R.I.

The winner of that showdown will likely meet No. 2 seed St. Johns, a 30-4 squad coached by Rick Pitino.

If the Hogs were fortunate to win two games, they would probably face either No. 3 seed Texas Tech or No. 6 Missouri. Top seed in the West are the red-hot Florida Gators, winners of the SEC Tournament.

Kansas, 21-12, finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference with an 11-9 mark. The Jayhawks are 2-3 in their last five games, but split a pair with Arizona, tied for third in the conference.

The other losses were to league champion Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, and No. 2 seed Texas Tech. Those losses were by six and five points, respectively.

The Jayhawks are coached by Bill Self, whose depleted team was whipped by Arkansas 85-69 on Oct. 25 at Bud Walton Arena. Kansas played that night without star center Hunter Dickinson.

Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson was a preseason All-American. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Jayhawks were the preseason No. 1 pick but suffered through a disappointing season, as did the Hogs, who were ranked 16th.

Dickinson, the 7-foot-2 grad transfer in his second year after leaving Michigan, leads the Jayhawks in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (10.0).

Zeke Mayo is the second-leading scorer (14.5). He's a 6-4 senior transfer from South Dakota State.

Next in scoring, both at 9.5 per game, are 6-2 grad point guard Dajuan Harris, who leads the team with 5.7 assists per outing, and 6-7 senior forward K.J. Adams.

Calipari and the Razorbacks, 20-13, are thrilled to be in the 68-team field but also feel vindicated after the national and local criticism they withstood after a disappointing start to their season.

The Hogs were 11-2 in non-conference games, losing on neutral courts to Baylor in Dallas and Illinois in Kansas City. Illinois is a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Baylor is a nine.

From there, it got worse. Calipari's team was blown out in the SEC opener at Tennessee and failed to recover, starting 0-5 in the conference.

And still, it got worse. Freshman point guard Boogie Fland had surgery to repair an injured thumb and was supposedly lost for the season, although he's now practicing and is expected to play against Kansas.

The Hogs were 1-6 in the SEC when they jump-started their disappointing campaign with a shocking 10-point win at Kentucky, Calipari's former team. They won the next one on the road at Texas and played well the rest of the season.

Arkansas went 8-5 after Fland was hurt, seemingly clinching an invitation to the Big Dance with a tough road win at Vanderbilt.

They split a pair of close ones in the SEC Tournament but had done enough to earn the right put on their dancing shoes.

True freshman Boogie Fland tonight aganst No. 1 Kansas:

▪️ 22 PTS
▪️ 8-15 FG
▪️ 5 AST
▪️ 6 STL pic.twitter.com/6cXMgJZncq

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) October 26, 2024

Of those five losses without Fland to close the regular season, three were to:
* Auburn, the tourney's overall No. 1 seed
* Alabama, No. 2 seed in the East Regional
* Texas A&M, a No. 4 seed in Auburn's South Regional

Calipari had to breathe a huge sigh of relief when Arkansas' name was called. It'll be his 24th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 32 opportunities.

Arkansas coach John Calipari works the sideline against the South Carolina Gamecocks during their first round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday. This will be his 24th NCAA Tournament appearance. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Hall of Fame coach, who leads all active bench bosses in victories, has led teams to:
* 15 Sweet 16s
* 12 Elite Eights
* 6 Final Fours
* 3 NCAA title games
* The 2012 national championship.

The SEC landed a record 14 teams in the Big Dance, a number helped by the expanded conference but also a testament to the historic strength of the league's teams.

Both Auburn and Florida are No. 1 seeds while Alabama and Tennessee are No. 2 seeds. Kentucky is a 3, A&M a 4, Missouri and Ole Miss are 6s, Mississippi State an 8, Georgia and Oklahoma 9s, Vanderbilt and Arkansas 10s, and Texas an 11.

Calipari and his team had to feel great about their chances after it was announced that the Longhorns were in the field, since the Hogs beat the 'Horns twice.

Texas was one of the last four included and play fellow 11 seed Xavier for the right to enter the 64-team main bracket against Illinois.

After overcoming setbacks from injuries and close losses, the Hogs managed to steadily improve. Now they're hoping to bust some brackets and create a few weeks of March Madness.

HOGS FEED:

• Pros vs. Cons: Will Fland's Return Help or Hurt the Hogs?

• Boogie's return could help solve Razorbacks' biggest problem

• Arkansas provides update on Thiero's status for tournament

• Hawaiian homers lets Razorbacks surf past Rebels for first SEC win

• Arkansas Drops SEC Doubleheader to No. 1 Oklahoma

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