CBB

NCAAB News: John Calipari makes 'juiced' request to his players

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari had one strong but simple request to his players going away for the Holidays.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach JOHN CALIPARI gives instructions during Arkansas s win over MD Eastern Shore at Bud Walton Arena.
© Brent Soule - ImagoArkansas Razorbacks head coach JOHN CALIPARI gives instructions during Arkansas s win over MD Eastern Shore at Bud Walton Arena.

The Arkansas Razorbacks made a big splash when they hired John Calipari to be their next head coach. Unsurprisingly, he worked his magic to have the second-best recruiting class in the nation.

Fast forward to today, and they’ve now won ten of their first 12 games. Even so, they’re just 1-1 against ranked opposition, and they have drawn fair criticism because of that.

The Razorbacks have a tough path ahead of them. That’s why, now that they’re going through a nine-day break and celebrating the Holiday season with their families, their coach urged them to come back stronger than ever.

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Jon Calipari wants his players to come back ‘juiced’ from the break

“Like I told them, you want to win the game and go for Christmas, breathe for the first time, and then come back here absolutely jacked and juiced – let’s go. Let’s get ready for the grind that’s ahead of us,” he told On3.

John Calipari

John Calipari

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The SEC is as tough as it’ll ever be, and the Razorbacks will start their conference play early in 2025. That will be a barometer to determine where the program truly stands right now:

“It’s, look, you know – none of us and no one in the league can predict anything. So, whatever it is, every team is going to have hard games – every one from top to bottom,“ the coach said.

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Arkansas is currently the No. 23 team in the AP Top 25, and they will continue to strive for their first national championship in decades. Needless to say, it will be way easier said than done.

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