ESPN's Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg react to John Calipari's decision not to call timeout, Arkansas' collapse

John Calipari’s first NCAA Tournament run with the Arkansas Razorbacks came to an end against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. The timeout he left in his back pocket has been all the topic of conversation in the time since.

Down two with the clock running out in overtime, Calipari elected to not call his final timeout, while D.J. Wagner looked for a bucket to keep the game alive. In the end, the Arkansas star came up short, and Calipari was left wondering if he should’ve drawn up a play instead.

The Razorbacks’ leader was regretful after the game regarding the decision: “In my career, I let that go,” Calipari said, via the Fort Smith Times Record. “Let the guy get to the rim. They’re not going to foul you. With that kind of time, just me, you call a timeout, now you’ve got to worry about what he’s doing, how he’s playing, the inbound, what are you doing.

“So I usually let that go. Now, because it ended the way it did, yeah, I wish I would have called a timeout. But 99 percent of the time, I let that go.”

As the dust settles on the moment, ESPN’s Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg took some time to evaluate how Arkansas’ season came to an end. While Williams has a ton of respect for what Calipari was able to get done in his first season in Fayetteville, he would’ve liked to see the 66-year-old call a timeout and give his team a chance to regroup.

“First off, I think the Calipari’s had one heck of a year, considering this team and the way they started off in the SEC. The fact that they got to the Sweet 16 is amazing,” Williams stated, via Get Up. “Secondly, I will say this though, despite the collapse, because games like this happen in college basketball. The time-out down the stretch — I know reasonable minds can differ, as our guy Jay Bilas says, but just considering the way we watched the team throughout the course of the year — I feel like I wanted a time-out down the stretch. 

“I get that coaches can do that. I wanted a timeout with more of a structured play for D.J. Wagner. That’s just me.”

In response, Greenberg was in agreement with his ESPN colleague. However, he heaped immense praise on Texas Tech for its role in defeating the Razorbacks. You’ve got to give the Big 12 squad credit for the comeback. 

“You’re reading advantage and disadvantages. That ball is coming up the floor, you’re reading advantage, disadvantage,” Greenberg added, regarding the final possession for Arkansas. “Do you have the ball in the guy’s hands you want to have the ball? Do you feel like you can get downhill and get to the rim? Do you like the matchup? All those things are going through your mind as he’s pushing the ball up the floor.

“Obviously, Cal evaluated and said, ‘You know what, we’ve got the ball in D.J.’s hands.’ He veered out. I’d rather see him stay in the middle of the floor, so he can spray it out. But I think there are so many different things. You’ve got to give Texas Tech credit, because they’re part of the equation. 

“Texas Tech did a great job. [Christian] Anderson knocking down big three after big three. They over-helped it where [Darrion] Williams made that big three to tie it up. That was a little bit of an over-help by [Karter] Knox. But the biggest thing is the last play of the game, the last play that Texas Tech scored on, they created a switch. They got Trevone Brazile, at 6-11 with the seven-plus wingspan, off of Williams. Got Karter Knox on him. They got the switch they wanted, and Williams used his size, strength and physicality to attack that matchup with the game-winning bucket. It was a big-time game. 

“Obviously, John Calipari would have some plays that he’d want back. On the other hand, Grant McCasland stayed with his team. Poured into his team. They made the plays they need to make down the stretch.”

Texas Tech deserved the win, but it stings seeing Calipari get so close to the Elite Eight with Arkansas in his first season and come up just short. He’ll likely be regretting keeping his final timeout in his pocket all offseason, while the Red Raiders will face the Florida Gators on Saturday evening in San Francisco.