When the Arkansas Razorbacks lured John Calipari away from Kentucky, most experts and fans agreed that the best was yet to come for them. It was the dawn of a promising era.
So far, that hasnāt been the case at all. The Razorbacks are 0-4 in conference play, and theyāve been one of the most disappointing teams in all of college basketball this season.
With that in mind, college hoops Jeff Eisenberg made a rather bold prediction about this team, stating that theyāre not going to make the NCAA tournament this season.
Arkansas wonāt make the NCAA tourney, says expert
āGive John Calipari credit for stumbling upon a foolproof way to avoid extending his streak of early-round NCAA tournament flameouts,ā Eisenberg said. āYou canāt get Gohlkeād again if youāre watching from the couch. Arkansas is in major jeopardy of missing the NCAA tournament in Calipariās highly anticipated debut season after an unremarkable non-league showing and a nightmare start in SEC play.ā
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach JOHN CALIPARI gives instructions during Arkansas s win over MD Eastern Shore at Bud Walton Arena.
He then doubled down on his criticism of Coach Cal by pointing out how Mark Pope was able to build a competitive squad at Kentucky despite not having any returning starters:
āKentucky coach Mark Pope didnāt inherit a single returning player from Calipari, yet the roster he rebuilt on the fly via transfer portal is 14-3 overall and 3-1 in the SEC. Thereās still time for Arkansas to dig its way out of this midseason hole, but the Razorbacksā road to the NCAA tournament is uphill and obstacle-laden,ā he added.
see also
25 highest-paid college basketball head coaches: Who earns the most?
Of course, thereās still plenty of basketball to be played this season. Then again, starting off 0-4 gives them no margin for error, and the SEC is one of the most competitive conferences out there.
