History seemed to repeat itself for Arkansas, as their struggles against Michigan State continued. Entering 0-2 in the matchup, the Razorbacks slipped to 0-3 after a narrow 69-66 loss to the No. 22 Spartans. The result also helped Tom Izzo even his head-to-head record with John Calipari at 3-3. Following the defeat, Calipari offered a candid reality check on his team’s early-season shortcomings.

To make matters even worse for Calipari, Michigan State won the matchup despite being terrible from the three-point line (1 for 14). It was a sloppy game on both ends for Arkansas. Early in the season, you expect some communication slips between teammates. However, Arkansas committed 14 turnovers, which resulted in 17 points for Michigan. After the game, coach Calipari pinpointed the reason for this unfortunate loss.

“The guys didn’t lose themselves into the team, whatever the team needs me to do for us, and we didn’t play that way, and it’s good for me to see, and it’s good for them to see individually. When you do that and you’re playing for yourself, it’s hard. You’re out there by yourself. You make a mistake. You trip over. When you lose yourself in the team, you’re just doing what the team needs you to do and what you’re capable of doing. So, we didn’t have that today,” Calipari told the media.

Calipari pointed to too much “hero ball” as the root of Arkansas’s problems, with players trying to do everything themselves. Though luck favored them in the first half, it quickly turned. The Razorbacks turned over the ball 10 times and gave away 10 offensive rebounds, yet led 39-36 at halftime, thanks to their efficiency, shooting 50% from the field compared to Michigan State’s 37.8%. However, in the second half, their style caught up as Michigan turned up the heat.

Michigan State shot 45.6% from the field and held the Razorbacks to just 28.6% shooting in the second half. Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas led Arkansas with 16 points apiece, while DJ Wagner had 13. That point distribution looks decent until you peek at the field goals attempted. Acuff and Thomas combined for 31 shot attempts (16 and 15, respectively). That is 55.4% of their total attempts (56). Even in the assists section, Calipari’s squad lost 18-16. 

“There were plays that they could have made for their teammates, and they tried to make it for themselves, and didn’t work out so good. Even the last couple of plays, guys were open and they took the shot themselves. So they didn’t play as well, but they have been playing well,” Calipari further said. 

Just look at the play with 37 seconds left; it summed up Calipari’s frustration. Down by just three, Darius ran a movement to create space after the inbound, and the ball found Thomas at the top of the key. Instead of working the play, he forced a contested three with 15 seconds still on the clock. It missed, and two more tough threes followed, sealing the Razorbacks’ fate.

Beyond just their lack of coordination, they gave Michigan a red carpet to the rim as Michigan compensated for its lack of outside shooting with 46 points in the paint. It’s like the rim belonged to the Spartans as Michigan State finished with 19 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points.

However, Calipari insists his team will learn from these errors. “At this time of the year, you win or you learn,” Calipari said. “We learned. We learned about each other. Guys have got to take responsibility, hold themselves accountable. That’s hard.” Calipari also admitted to using a relatively unknown tactic to adjust to Tom Izzo and Michigan State.

Calipari’s Razorbacks Learn a Hard Lesson in Pace and Patience Against Michigan State

John Calipari has been more or less a coach who has favored pace. He often emphasizes ball movement and using the entire court, while also playing a physical brand of basketball. It feels like the most attractive way to play. The Golden State Warriors utilized it in their golden years, playing some of the best basketball in NBA history. However, it doesn’t always work, and Calipari admitted to changing his schemes because of Tom Izzo’s radically opposite style, but it came with a compromise. 

“You got a little more grind back, and they grinded it more than we did. I was trying to space the court and do some things, and then I said, “Screw it. Grind with them. It’s the only way we’re they’re going to grind us for 30 seconds. We’re going to shoot in seven. You’re going to get buried.” And so we started, but we haven’t done that as much, but as the season goes on, there are points in the game you just grind it, let’s go,”  Calipari said. 

Arkansas was often killing Michigan in the break in the first half. They were pushing the tempo, leading to 11 fast break points for each team in the first half. However, Tom Izzo succeeded in getting Calipari to play with his pace. Arkansas’ efficiency in the second half dropped drastically, which played right into Izzo’s hands.

As the game slipped away in the final seconds, frustration also piled up for the Razorbacks. “You know we did some half-decent stuff. It’s just that some decisions in possessions, like you’d go and have a great possession and follow it up with a bad one,” Calipari said. 

Calipari will continue sharpening his team to adapt in such situations as the season goes on. They would like to settle down in their next match-up against the Central Arkansas Bears, where they are heavily favoured to win. However, John Calipari would like his team to look at the avoidable problems in the rearview mirror once SEC play starts. Last season, the Razorbacks finished with an 8–10 SEC record, something Calipari desperately wants to improve this season.