Message From Nba Star Fueled Hogs' Coach John Calipari's Will To Dominate Gamecocks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There was a consciousness of urgency evident erstwhile nan Arkansas Razorbacks took nan level of Bud Walton Arena Wednesday nighttime against South Carolina.

Coach John Calipari's squad came retired pinch a convincing 108-74 victory, signaling nan Auburn nonaccomplishment might've been a figment of everyone's imagination instead.

When Calipari went into nan postgame media room to stock thoughts astir really nan Razorbacks responded aft being punched successful nan rima early and often by nan Tigers Saturday, he couldn't defy nan opportunity to do a small patented sanction dropping.

“It's amazing, I’ve had much group show me, ‘I emotion your team,'" Calipari said. "Today, Julius Randle texted maine and said, ‘I really emotion your team.’ I said, ‘Did you watch nan past game?’ He said, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ Different group are calling maine astir this group and saying you person a batch of pieces.”

Having a erstwhile subordinate specified arsenic Randle, a erstwhile Calipari one-and-done astatine Kentucky, scope retired to promote his erstwhile coach shows conscionable really loved nan existent Hogs coach genuinely is. While it's easy to fto spell of nan statement successful 1 game, Randle knew arsenic good arsenic Calipari that some nan players and nan coaches must flush mediocre performances and quickly look toward nan adjacent opponent.

That's precisely what happened Wednesday arsenic freshmen defender duo Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas led nan complaint while veterans showed up pinch a purpose. Some nights coaches can't find 5 guys to show up and play a afloat 40 minutes of effort, desire and winning basketball.

Calipari alluded to that successful nan postgame, and encouraged South Carolina coach Lamont Paris to fundamentally "burn nan tape" for illustration he did aft nan Auburn game.

“I moreover told Lamont [Paris] afterward, I said, ‘What you conscionable did here, we did astatine Auburn,'" Calipari said. "It’s nan aforesaid thing. You benignant of fto spell of nan rope. We did nan same. But they’re a bully team. I've watched nan tape. They either won nan crippled aliases had a chance to triumph each crippled they've played.

"We had been nan aforesaid pinch nan Top 10 opponents, and past we deed Auburn. So hopefully we learned our lesson. We don’t want to consciousness nan measurement we felt aft that [Auburn] game."

Arkansas brought successful 1 of nan much ascendant station players successful nan SEC during nan offseason successful Nick Pringle, who transferred from South Carolina pursuing a breakout season.

He's been comparatively ineffective successful nan station compared to his 2 erstwhile SEC stops, averaging conscionable complete 5 points and 5 rebounds per crippled pinch nan Razorbacks.

Calipari showed a spot of interest for Pringle arsenic he checked successful connected his large man to spot wherever he was mentally up of facing his erstwhile team.

Clearly, he was successful a bully place. With 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists against nan Gamecocks, nan Razorbacks second-year coach is hoping it opens up nan floodgates of productivity for Pringle to go an intimidating station beingness moving forward.

While everyone responded to Calipari's petition to pain nan portion from Auburn, it was Pringle who's capacity that apt made nan biggest belief moving forward.

"We had meal astatine my house, and I grabbed [Pringle] and asked 'Are you okay?' 'Yeah I'm fine,'" Calipari said. "And he was fine. He made free throws, dunks, blocked balls, rebounded. He was really good, really good.

"[South Carolina players] couldn't spell astir Nick. If they tried to drive, he stopped them. Now, my occupation is to get his centrifugal hot."

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