Razorbacks Finally Find Game They Can Lose Blowing Big Lead

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — During Arkansas' run of wins in February and March there was always one nagging little thing that kept popping up.

This team seemed to have the agonizing habit of blowing big leads in the second half. Games that were shaping up into a possible blowout suddenly would get really, really interesting.

The Razorbacks found a way to win nearly every time. Thursday night againt Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 they couldn't. You could see it coming.

A whopping number of people have contacted me they since that 85-83 overtime loss they just had this growing sense of doom in the second half. The Red Raiders kep whittling into the lead.

Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) reacts after losing to Texas Tech — Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) reacts after losing to the Texas Tech Red Raiders during overtime during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The most frustrating part was when Tech missed a shot, the Hogs kept finding ways to let it slip away. Often it simply looked like the Red Raiders just wanted the ball more. Eventually they would get it in the basket and cut the lead more.

"They did all the right stuff except we didn't rebound," Razorbacks coach John Calipari said later. "That was a big difference in this game."

Cal probably won't say it, but it was THE big difference. It was maddening at times just to watch. Tech would miss a 3-pointer, then a couple of put-back attempts and the Hogs still couldn't get the ball. Finally, the Red Raiders would put one up that fell in.

Arkansas also went stone cold for long stretches in the second half. We've seen that at various times all season long. It was frustrating to watch then, too, but winning causes a certain level amnesia with everybody.

Razorbacks coach John Calipari watches play downcourt during the first half against Texas Tech — Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari watches play downcourt during the first half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

There have been some times Calipari wuold mention things, but it sounded like he wasn't wanting to destroy anybody's confidence. He didn't exactly have a huge roster that could just cycle through the players and find somebody ready to step up.

He did that again after the loss to the Red Raiders.

"I come back to a will to win," Calipari said. "Like today we gave up a lead but we did that a bunch this year. Up 15 and all of a sudden you turn around and it's a two-point game.

"But they had a will to win. And even this game. I mean [Trevon Brazile's] 3, the way we started the half, the way we ended the half and then the way we executed coming out."

For Calipari this has been a special year. He's talked about it quite a bit lately, but the retrospective looks back will show he didn't start with much at Arkansas and was basically just trying to solve a different missing piece nearly every game.

He didn't have a single player on the roster when he took the job in April. The story's been told a lot how when he was here to be introduced, no players were left to even have a meeting with. For a coach that's been to multiple places, that was probably a first.

Injuries took a toll and there was hope among Razorback fans that Boogie Fland and Adou Thiero would be 100 percent for the Sweet 16, but they weren't after their injuries. They combined for 12 minutes and weren't there at the end.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) drives to the hoop past Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Elijah Hawkins (3) during the first half during a West Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Chase Center. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

"They wrote their own story," Calipari said. "They didn't let somebody else write it. They wrote it. We started so bad but we were beat up and injured and we just didn't talk about it. We just said let's keep playing, let's go, next man up.

"You think about what TB did with the minutes he got, Jonas coming back from injury and all of a sudden doing what he did, what Billy Richmond did with his minutes, what Karter Knox did with more minutes, the next man up, they took advantage of it.

"Hopefully the legacy will be this team was one of the favorites because of what they went through and how they stuck together."

That's probably the way fans will see this team. They accomplished more in March than anybody was expecting at the end of January. People actually asked me if they could even make one of those tournaments below the NIT level.

Nobody dared mention the Sweet 16 as a possibility and scoffed at me when I reminded them what happens in January doesn't really matter in March. All it did this time was point out what eventually did become a big problem and that was turning comfortable wins into nail-biters.

From no team to one of the last 16 teams still playing. Stayed the course, stayed together. pic.twitter.com/Y6Xv36NDCZ
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) March 28, 2025

It will still probably be one of Calipari's favorites, not so much for what they accomplished overall as how they managed to get as far as they did.

"I've had teams that were better and finished better and national champions and all that stuff," Calipari said. "This was a different reward. Different reward. And for me as a coach, we had to adjust and learn, and it was an experience for me to learn. That was an interesting path for me and my staff."

Because they never let go of the rope just might be the reason the team didn't, either. Eventually the Hogs' fans will get that, too.

Razorbacks Finally Find Game They Can Lose Blowing Big Lead

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs created March Madness for 2025 but end in heartache

• Arkansas Has Chance to Land Potential Megastar in Transfer Portal

• Davis' March Magic Nearly Gives Hogs Elite Eight Berth

• Razorbacks blow lead, season against Texas Tech in OT thriller

• Late night ahead for Razorbacks against Texas Tech in California