Just when Arkansas fans thought they could finally breathe a little easier, reality came crashing down—again. After a hard-fought win over LSU, the Razorbacks were hanging on to NCAA Tournament hopes by a thread. But now they’ve dropped another game. And John Calipari knows his Razorbacks need a statement win—something big—to even have a shot at the tournament in his first season.

And it’s not getting any easier.

Playing in the SEC is already a nightmare, with five teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll, including the top three. So when Arkansas took a tough 69-61 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, dropping them to 15-10 overall and 4-8 in conference play, Calipari finally lost his cool.

“Normally, you say you are what your record says you are,” the coach said postgame. “But in this league, the way this is, you just got to get it going at the right time. And I thought we did. And Alabama? They’re really good, too. This team is really good. Guess what? We had a chance with both of them. But we didn’t.” 

That Alabama game was a nail-biter. The Razorbacks fell 85-81, proving they could hang with the bigs but hanging isn’t winning. “For us to bust through, we’re going to have to beat somebody,” coach Cal continued. “We can say what we want, [but] I wanted to make sure they weren’t happy [thinking] we’re going to be OK. No, if we won that game… we’re in the tournament.”

But they didn’t. And he wasn’t happy. In fact, he let them know exactly how he felt. “So it’s not okay to say we’ll be alright,” he shouted, making it crystal clear that this wasn’t a minor setback. It was a missed opportunity. He hammered home the reality check: Arkansas had THE shot, and they blew it.

And here’s the thing—they actually had a real shot. Arkansas fought hard inside Reed Arena. The game was tied at 50, and they even cut the Aggies’ lead to seven with 1:41 to go after a Karter Knox layup and two clutch threes from Zvonimir Ivisic. But somehow, Knox and Ivisic—who were Arkansas’ best offensive threats all game—didn’t touch the ball in the final 90 seconds. Instead, the Hogs relied on Johnell Davis and Adou Thiero, both of whom were struggling all game. 

Davis had an off night, clanking close-range shots and air-balling threes, while Thiero struggled to finish at the rim and missed a crucial three late. That resulted in another loss, another what-could-have-been.

And Calipari knows it. He needs every single one of his players to show up in this tight eight-man rotation if Arkansas wants any shot at making a late run. Also, it’s worth noting that even in a loss, the Razorbacks were right there.

But “almost” isn’t good enough anymore.

Even John Calipari’s sideline antics couldn’t fire up Razorbacks

If there was any doubt about how much this loss stung, just look at Calipari during the game. He was fuming. At one point, he straight-up kicked the scorer’s table after A&M extended its lead early in the second half. The frustration boiled over, and his players knew it.

The Hogs responded in flashes, making a huge push and even tying the game at 48. But that was the peak. After tying it at 50, Arkansas just couldn’t get over the hump. A&M locked in, and the Razorbacks couldn’t generate enough offense to flip the script.

The Aggies stretched the lead back to 10 a couple of times, and though Arkansas cut it down here and there, they never truly threatened. At times, it looked like they were just trying to avoid a full-on blowout. Other times, they were throwing up desperate shots, hoping for a miracle that never came. 

Turnovers killed the Hogs, too. Arkansas gave the ball away 17 times, compared to A&M’s 10. You can’t win when you’re gifting the other team extra possessions, especially against an elite defense.

But, there’s no time to dwell. Arkansas has another shot at a big win. John Calipari’s crew visit top-ranked Auburn on Wednesday night. Let’s just hope they don’t let another golden opportunity slip away.