John Calipari looking for ways to keep Arkansas' mindset in right place

Arkansas is off to its worst-ever start in the SEC and worst conference start overall in four decades from while in the Southwest Conference. Still, with 13 games left on the schedule in his debut season in Fayetteville, John Calipari has to find a way to keep the ‘Hogs whole over the next month and a half.

Calipari talked about keeping the Razorbacks’ mindset right during his postgame press conference this weekend after an 83-65 loss at Missouri to fall to 0-5 in a tie for last in the SEC. He said he needs his team to remember who they were from the non-conference despite the struggles that’ll come with playing in their difficult league this season.

“Look, all I can tell you is, um, my whole thought is, how do I keep this team in a mindset that they understand it’s the team that beat Michigan, it’s the team that went on the road and won, it’s a team that’s won tough games?” Calipari said. “Lost a couple tough ones. And then you get in this league? It can demoralize you.”

Arkansas had at least a decent resumé before the turn of the calendar at 11-2 overall. However, that record didn’t have any notable wins besides a two-point one over Michigan, a game in which they were down as much as 15 but also led by as much as 18, in the Jimmy V. Classic. Still, coming into the new year, they were still projected to be in the postseason.

Now, the ‘Hogs have fallen completely out of the bracket through conference play at 0-5 as they’ve lost to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU, and Missouri over the past two weeks. That has them now 56th in the NET as of Sunday with a 1-7 record in Quad I. With that, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi already had them out of the dance as part of the Next Four Out on Friday while On3’s James Fletcher didn’t have them predicted in his field at all either as of today.

The Razorbacks still have over two-thirds of a conference slate to play, though, and have to keep playing in trying to be better than they’ve started from here on.

“We got to have – we got nine guys. And, if Boogie is out for a while, we may have eight guys. Well, guess what those eight guys have got to do? Play well. All of ’em,” said Calipari. “You can’t have four of the eight, you know, get a dud. And that means, again, mindsets. How do we get ’em?”