Jay Williams blasts John Calipari over SEC Tournament take: 'I think that's absurd'

John Calipari said that he didn’t care about the SEC Tournament in an interview in Fayetteville on Monday, which sparked debate across the college basketball world. Fans, experts, analysts and more have chimed in on the matter, and ESPN College GameDay’s Jay Williams did the same.

At halftime of the Wofford vs. Furman SoCon Championship game, the Duke legend sounded off on the Arkansas coach’s comments. He provided context as to why Calipari’s perspective is “absurd.”

“I know that John Calipari says that he could care less about winning the SEC Tournament, but we are talking about, arguably, the greatest single season conference of all-time. So I think that’s absurd,” Williams told the halftime panel. “Like, I think everybody’s approach is to win every single game they play, right? And you’re also talking about — you can make a case, Seth, that the semifinals of the SEC Tournament could be more exciting to watch than the Final Four. They could (both) be in the Final Four.

“Actually, you can make the case — you would hope that that would be the Final Four. The teams — think about this, here’s count for you. The SEC has won 21 wins against AP ranked non-conference opponents so far this season, most by any conference a single-season history in the AP poll. Come on, like, that’s what this tournament is about.”

Calipari won six SEC Tournaments during his time at Kentucky, including four in a row beginning in 2015. Mixed results came in the ensuing NCAA Tournaments. He led the Wildcats the Final Four twice, Elite Eight twice, a Sweet Sixteen, and a second-round exit.

Kentucky’s lone national championship under Calipari came in 2012 when they lost in the title game vs. Vanderbilt. In that respect, the SEC Tournament isn’t indicative of a team’s NCAA Tournament success. Calipari’s words come at a time when his Arkansas Razorbacks haven’t won the SEC Tournament since 2000, and Calipari himself hasn’t won it since 2018.

However, with the Razorbacks currently residing on Joe Lunardi’s ‘Last Four Byes’ line, Arkansas may have already punched its ticket to the Big Dance. In that respect, the outcome of their stay in Nashville might not matter after all. Although, their spot in the tournament isn’t guaranteed since they’re technically still on the bubble.

Arkansas takes on South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. ET and will air live on the SEC Network.