"Even when you're experienced you can do dumb things sometimes": John Calipari reflects on "mistakes" after pulling off Michigan upset
Last Tuesday, the Arkansas Razorbacks were able to pull off an exhilarating 89-87 upset win over the Michigan Wolverines. Held at the Madison Square Garden for the Jimmy V Classic, coach John Calipari steered the Razorbacks to the victory after a 15-point deficit in the first half and a late rally by the opposition.
During a postgame interview with Scott Van Pelt on "SportsCenter", Calipari reflected on some of his "mistakes" that could've had the game go the other way.
"I made some mistakes down the stretch. The out of bounds play stunk. I should've never changed what we were going to do," Calipari said. "I had Trevon [Brazile] come back for a ball when they were going for a foul and he missed too. That's on me."
The 2012 NCAA national champion coach recognized that they managed to hold on for the win because of how his players fought in the clutch.
"These kids fought and did every[thing]. Even when you're experienced, you do dumb things sometimes. But, they fought and I'll tell them this after the game. I'll say it to them when I get in," he added.
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Some of the players integral to the victory were freshman guard Boogie Fland – who had a game-high 20 points, seven assists and two steals – while sophomore D.J. Wagner Jr. chipped in 16 markers of his own as well to go with three rebounds and five dimes.
Brazile was also a spark off the bench as he dropped 15 points, grabbed six boards and got three swipes while shooting an efficient 6-of-8 from the field.
With his new team and a different set of players, Calipari is seemingly still adjusting to the change of scenery even with being an all-time coach already.
John Calipari likes what he sees from Arkansas
Calipari is looking to instill the winning ways and culture that he had in his 16-year tenure with the Kentucky Wildcats. Even with some of the ups and downs of adjusting in the 2024-2025 season, Calipari is optimistic about his new squad:
"Here's what I like: We get down and we never have stopped. We lost to two top 15 teams and you all of a sudden think we stink. I'm like, 'Okay.'"
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He then went on to shout out stellar plays of Fland, Wagner, Brazile and Jonas Aidoo, especially with how they held on in such a tight game against Michigan. Their overall record now stands at 8-2 in the Southeastern division with their only defeats coming from Illinois and Baylor.
Calipari will look to fix the mistakes he mentioned in the Razorbacks' next matchup against the Central Arkansas Bears at Verizon Arena on Saturday.