John Calipari’s Arkansas was removed from the AP Top 25 rankings earlier this week. Surprise? Not for many. The Razorbacks have an 11-3 record overall, but have yet to achieve their first win in the conference, going 0-2 so far. The team started well during the non-conference fixtures but later struggled against opponents in the SEC. And as was expected, some have questioned whether this stretch of play is part of a larger issue or is just the beginning of a rough patch for Arkansas under their new Hall of Famer head coach. For now, all Calipari has to say is: “We had our chances.”

The SEC matchups have been steep hurdles for the Razorbacks. Their season opener against No. 1 Tennessee ended in a heartbreaking 76-52 loss, overpowered by 22 rebounds. Their subsequent 73-66 loss to No. 23 Ole Miss became the latest struggle. That loss cemented their SEC record at 0-2 and put into uncertainty whether they can compete in a difficult conference.

After Ole Miss loss, first-year Arkansas head coach John Calipari offered a candid assessment of the team’s performance. “I’ve got to do a better job at teaching these guys how to win, how to finish off games. But again it’s.. you create a culture and they understand it.”

Coming in a high-profile coach, Calipari had to rebuild the Razorbacks. And he knows that while all of it cannot be achieved in one go, they have their work cut out for them.

“We got work to do. I got work to do, I didn’t think this would be easy didn’t think it would be this hard. But you know what it’s hard, this league this year it’s hard. And you got no breaks so we’ll see what happens going forward.” The coach acknowledged the steep competition within the SEC.

When asked about the specific obstacles faced, Calipari noted, “I didn’t think the league would be this good. I knew the league was going to be good. But I didn’t think top to bottom that it would look like this. So, this now made my job even harder. When you’re trying to build a culture and it’s about the process not the results.” 

He expressed disappointment but remained optimistic, acknowledging the difficulties faced in maintaining an early advantage and closing out games. This is the first time in Calipari’s 16 seasons in the SEC that his team has opened conference play 0-2. Calipari’s reflections highlighted a mix of frustration and faith in his players.

“I have a lot of faith in this group. I’m disappointed; I’m not discouraged. This league is really good; there, you’re going to take knocks. It’s just how it is. I was hoping we could get this game and, but we didn’t. So now we move on.” Calipari is now focused on the future, continuing to prepare the team for its next opponent, and continuing to work to make his team better. 

He continued “Tomorrow will be our day for us. Friday, I’ll work on the next opponent. Right now, we got to get better at how we’re trying to play, and some of it’s talking them through showing them tape, some of it will be drilling them on what we’re doing and why, but you know we just got to play winning basketball.”

Even after the rocky start, the outlook is cautiously optimistic. The Razorbacks now face a pivotal game against No. 8 Florida, coming off of a 30-point victory over No. 1 Tennessee.

This is one of those matchups where the Razorbacks can get their first SEC victory of the year. And maybe get a little bit of momentum going. Calipari will look to use this game to convince his players that setbacks can be overcome.

Winning together: Calipari’s strategy to overcome SEC challenges

Calipari‘s statement after the game pointed out that teamwork and collective effort are absolutely needed to get past the current hurdles. “How do we play to win? You do it together. You’re not doing this, I’m doing mine and I’ll win this game. Can’t be that,” he explained, his feeling echoed even more as he spoke about unity and the value of each second on the hardwood.

The thoughts came after a reporter asked Calipari about Boogie Fland, who could not perform as well as he would be expected to. Shooting a meager 5 of 20 from the field for 14 points against the Rebels instead of passing the ball to create shots for his teammates is exactly what took Fland and the Razorbacks down. This only adds to the reflection that the Hall of Famer head coach has that there is no time to waste when the game in on.

“You got to go in and every moment matters. Every play down the court is us playing against them; not you playing against your guy,” Calipari asserted.

A seasoned leader with a stellar resume at Kentucky — a 410-123 record over 15 seasons — Calipari’s experience will help him through tricky times. However, the competitiveness in the SEC proves that their A-game needs to be brought back immediately.

It will be Calipari’s dedication and resilience that will be important to Arkansas. His methods will be crucial in breaking the cycle of turmoil, now as they look ahead to a challenging road in front of them. The Razorbacks have to be able to adjust and get better in the face of troubles to succeed in the stout SEC. With Calipari’s leadership, can they do it?