Why John Calipari didn’t watch the tape from Arkansas basketball’s loss to South Carolina

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John Calipari said he wanted to “burn the tape” after Arkansas basketball’s 72-53 loss to South Carolina Saturday.

The desire for fire may have been extreme, but it turns out the metaphor didn’t carry an ounce of exaggeration.

The Razorbacks (18-12, 7-10 SEC) bounced back Tuesday with a 90-77 win at Vanderbilt. After the game, Calipari confirmed he had no interest in reliving the Hogs’ 14-point first half and overall malaise against the Gamecocks.

“We got smoked by South Carolina so bad, I never looked at the tape,” Calipari said. “And I told the team, the reason I didn’t look at the tape, that wasn’t my team, so why would I watch it? That’s not my team. I mean, we were so bad, we were 0 for 17 from the three.”

More: Trevon Brazile’s throwback performance powers Arkansas basketball past Vanderbilt

More: Razorbacks’ road win adds to March Madness résumé

In the end, the strategy worked. The Commodores entered the night having won three straight games against ranked opponents, but Arkansas took a lead late in the first half and never trailed again.

Trevon Brazile scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Johnell Davis poured in 21 points, while D.J. Wagner and Zvonimir Ivisic both had 14. The Arkansas defense held Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, Jason Edwards, to two points on 0 for 12 shooting.

Mar 4, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari screams instructions to his team against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Hogs’ NCAA Tournament destiny is still undecided, but the win over Vanderbilt allows for more optimism. The Hogs looked broken without Adou Thiero against South Carolina. Calipari pulled the right string of forgetfulness to conjure another moment of defiance.

“We started 0-5,” Calipari said. “Like, it’s over. Stinks. He can’t coach. They can’t play. He stinks. That kid stinks. Some of the guys, they were bazooka shots at some of these kids and they…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/why-john-calipari-didnt-watch-145442989.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2025-03-05 14:54:00

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