Calipari and Razorbacks are going through a “process” to find success

Arkansas plays Pacific on Monday at Bud Walton Stadium as the team tries to get better.

The method is more important than the end result. Since he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas coach John Calipari has said that in one way or another.

Do not fall for it. It seems like Calipari wants his team to win every time they play, more than any other coach I’ve met. He knows the long game, though. That’s very important when a team’s whole lineup changes, like now when players move and come back the next year.

Also, don’t worry about the Razorbacks’ record as the season goes on. Yes, it does mean a lot, especially for the SEC and NCAA playoff seeding. Even so, Coach Cal knows that a high seed doesn’t always mean a strong run in March.

Part of that process is playing a tough schedule. He tests his players against teams that could make it to the Elite Eight or better and good mid-majors instead of “cupcakes,” or small schools that know they’ll lose and get a big show bonus.

We are three games into the season, and the Hogs are getting better. They also found out what needs to be fixed. The teams they beat were Lipscomb (76-60) and Troy (65-49). Over the last three seasons, Troy has won at least 20 games. Lipscomb had a 3-pointer that would have sent the Hogs to overtime a year ago.

During the news conference after the game against Troy, Calipari said, “There’s got to be easier teams out there to play.” “But, you know what, we needed it, because I’ve got to learn about these guys and we’re all together for the first time.”

It was said again: “It’s more about the way things are done than how they turn out.” After saying that, he quickly added that the Hogs had lost to Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, in a game that came in between the two wins.

On the road against No. 8 Baylor, the Hogs played badly in the first half. They tied the game several times in each half before the Bears could answer, and with 22 seconds left, they were within three points. They lost 72–67, but they fought hard the whole game by playing tough defence and being determined, even though they didn’t shoot well.

“At Baylor, I would have rather won a close game than learnt that we’ve really got work to do,” said Calipari. “But it’s not just the results; it’s also the process.” Most especially in November.”

In the first two games and two practices, it was hard to shoot from beyond the 3-point line. As a team, the Hogs would have been happy with their 43% clip against Troy. They do, however, hold both good and bad news.

The good news (or great news) is Zvonimir Ivišić, a 7-foot-2 forward, made 6 of 7 three-point shots against Troy. The other guys now have 4 out of 16 (25%) which is the same as before. If you take away point guard Boogie Fland’s two of three, it drops to two of thirteen, or 15%.

Believe me, it will get better. As part of Calipari’s plan, yes, shot better. There’s no doubt that guys get better at a new offence over time. They get along with each other. Each person and the group as a whole gains confidence.

All of that is especially true when the school has a new teacher and only one player played there last year. Also, trust me on these two: The Hogs won’t make 43% of their 3-point shots every night, and Ivišić won’t make 6/7, but once a month he might. Because he has a good swing and is sure of himself, he might hit 43% for the season.

It was planned that Calipari would work on the team’s zone offence over the weekend. Because some players were hurt and coaches didn’t have much time for practice, they hadn’t set up much, if any, zone offence before the Baylor game. Don’t forget that it’s a process, though guys skipping games and practices has slowed that down too.

Next up, the Hogs play Pacific on Monday at Bud Walton Arena, which is a nice place. The game will be shown live on SEC Network+ at 7 p.m.

Pacific has lost two games in a row, to Hawaii (76–66) and Northern Arizona (60–57). Their best win was in Hawaii over San Jose State (80–67). There’s a chance for the Tigers to get better against No. 18 Arkansas (2-1), but it may not be as much of a threat as recent games against other teams.