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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Arkansas Razorbacks have finally won a Southeastern Conference game. This is not a drill, I repeat, John Calipari’s razorbacks have finally won a conference game this season. All this after six hard-fought attempts! The Arkansas Razorbacks secured their first SEC win by beating the Georgia Bulldogs 68-65. But despite some sun, the black clouds still hover over the Fayetteville program.

It wasn’t an easy victory for the Razorbacks by any stretch of the imagination! They had to rally back from 15 points down to win the game in the end. The hero of the hour? Adou Thiero, whose clutch second chance layup at the buzzer sealed the deal and sent fans into a frenzy.

Karter Knox was instrumental during their 18-6 mega run to take the first lead of the game with roughly 4 minutes remaining on the clock. Knox, who scored 7 crucial points in the run, was instrumental in turning the tide in their favor. His electrifying performance set the stage for Thiero’s dramatic finish!

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Even with the thrilling comeback, Arkansas fans know there’s not much to celebrate. The Razorbacks’ shooting struggles continue to be a big problem. They managed to hit only 18 of 58 shots, going 31% from the field. Another concern is the poor form of veteran guard Johnell Davis.

John Fanta and Mike LaTulip on The Field of 68: After Dark podcast, dived deep into the struggles of former Florida Atlantic Owls star Johnell Davis. The guard, who reportedly landed a jaw-dropping NIL deal worth over $1 million to join the Razorbacks, has yet to live up to the hype.

John Fanta couldn’t hide his disbelief as he reflected on Johnell Davis’s rocky start to the season. He said, “I am sorry man, I mean Johnell Davis what happened, like what in the world occurred here. How do you go from Florida Atlantic and being one of the faces of a Final Four team run to a level that I think if you weren’t at Arkansas, you’d be at another high major.” 

After a standout season where Davis averaged 18.2 points per game, shooting an impressive 48% from the field, his numbers have taken a sharp dip this year. Now averaging just 8 points per game and struggling with an all-time career low of 38.8% shooting from the field. What has gone wrong for the veteran guard? Mike LaTulip analyzes it.

via Imago

In the same podcast, LaTulip says, “

When you go and look at how he was used at FAU and how he’s used at Arkansas, it’s the inverse.” He continues, “His most used possessions at FAU were in isolation, his most used possessions were in pick and roll and it is flipped this year, there’s almost no isolation, there’s almost no pick and roll and how do you expect to get the same Nelly Davis when you are not putting Nelly Davis in a position to be Nelly Davis.”

This once again puts coach John Calipari’s tactical acumen under question. A debate that just never seems to go away. Can the legendary coach keep pace with the ever-evolving modern game, or has the sport moved past his tried-and-tested methods? The question lingers on.

But perhaps the real issue isn’t whether Calipari can adapt, it’s whether we should still place him on that pedestal at all. Has his reputation overshadowed the reality of what he brings to the table in today’s basketball landscape? Let’s see.

Is Calipari really to blame for Arkansas’s struggles?

It’s worth noting that Calipari’s struggles didn’t start at Arkansas. In his last three years at Kentucky, the legendary coach failed to advance beyond the Round of 64 in the NCAA tournament and hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2015. There’s no doubt about his talent ID; he’s still one of the best when it comes to recruiting talented prospects.

The big question is, was it really a smart move for Arkansas to shell out a hefty fee for Calipari? Probably not. The Arkansas team isn’t short of quality, they just haven’t jelled enough as a team. The Arkansas find themselves in a 12-7 overall record with a 1-5 SEC record.

Despite Chin Coleman asserting the fact that Calipari remains one of the best coaches in the league, it is clear that the Arkansas young guns are struggling to play as a team, and at some point, you’ve got to wonder if Calipari is the right coach to fix it. This raises eyebrows especially when we see the Hall of Famer continue to use his old strategies from Kentucky in Arkansas despite them not bearing any fruits.

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How long can the Razorbacks wait before tough questions about his future need answers?

 

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