Arkansas would not have hired John Calipari as its new coach if the team didn’t want to compete for championships again. It’s not necessary to consult “inside sources” in order to determine that. All it takes is basic math to see where the Razorbacks fit into this brand-new collegiate sports landscape.
That’s what they’re doing, whether you like it or not. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the boosters’ $33 million buyout and package to entice him away from Kentucky wasn’t just a one-time event. Prepare, take a seat, and enjoy yourself.
Don’t worry about football. They will always have the talent to be competitive, but it won’t be titles on a regular basis. They are putting the pieces together in basketball, including landing one of the top coaches in the game who will get the talent unless he’s just completely lost his touch. After figuring out he can’t do it with one-and-done players, it will likely be a mixture of high school players and transfers. He’s also already landing big men.
Expect a major renovation to Bud Walton Arena at some point. The place hasn’t been updated much since it was built in 1993 and it needs modern amenities, including better Wi-Fi and more comfortable seats. Even though that was dismissed in Calipari’s first press conference, that was easy to do because they couldn’t have it this year anyway. No reason to start that drumbeat publicly. It’s coming, though.
Arkansas is now a basketball and baseball school. That’s not to slight the accomplishments of track or some other sports, but there are three big ones that generate the most amount of revenue. Basketball can be as profitable as football. Do the math with a lot more home games.
Besides, when the Hogs were competing for national championships every year, you didn’t have to be a genius to see there was more interest in a basketball team in the mix for a title every year while the football team wallowed around just trying to make a bowl game in Shreveport. There weren’t a lot of complaints then.
Besides, whatever the deal was with some big boosters, they aren’t paying that kind of money to finish the basketball season the second week of March. Those type of folks typically want results and big ones at that.
In basketball, there are only 13 players on scholarship and not all of them are premium NIL types of guys. You don’t have to have the same resources to get to the Final Four you do just to make the playoffs in football, even expanding it to 12 teams.
Being good at basketball isn’t a bad thing. You don’t even have to have a deep memory bank to remember the excitement around a couple of Elite Eight basketball runs just a few years ago. Fans would probably enjoy that for a change.
