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Arkansas

John Calipari misses postgame press conference due to illness

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•02/13/25•

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Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts after being defeated by the LSU Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts after being defeated by the LSU Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

John Calipari coached through illness on Wednesday in Arkansas‘ 70-58 win over LSU. Evidently, he left it all out on the court. Calipari was unable to attend the postgame press conference since he felt “under the weather,” according to a team spokesperson.

Arkansas assistant coach Chin Coleman attended the press conference in Calipari’s place. He addressed Calipari’s illness before fielding any questions.

“I want to apologize for Coach not being here,” Coleman said. “I know you guys probably wanted Gladys Knight. You got one of the Pips. So I’m happy to step in for Gladys tonight.”

Despite not feeling his best, Calipari didn’t miss a beat during the game. The Razorbacks had one of their best SEC showings yet, shooting 51.9% from the field and tallying 17 assists on 28 made field goals.

Arkansas center Zvonimir Ivisic was particularly spectacular, recording a game-high 25 points while shooting 10-13 from the floor and 3-5 from beyond the arc. Ivisic also notched four blocks in the win.

Ivisic’s recent improvement on the court has been pivotal to Arkansas winning three of its last four games. In Arkansas’ previous game against Alabama, Ivisc racked up 27 points, connecting on 5-of-his-9 attempts from downtown.

Calipari is leaning into Ivisic’s success by putting the ball in his hands more on offense and allowing him to work. The decision is paying dividends. After beginning conference play with a 1-6 record, Arkansas is now 4-7 against SEC foes.

In ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, he listed Arkansas as the first team out. With seven games remaining in conference play, Arkansas will have no shortage of opportunities to secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, it won’t be easy. On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jay Bilas discussed the harsh realities of being a team in the SEC this season.

“I’ve never seen a league that’s been this tough top to bottom,” Bilas said. “People compare it [and] say, ‘Well, last time this happened, it was the ACC in the mid-’80s.’ That was so long ago, I was playing ACC then. But the ACC was eight teams back then. This is 16. The idea that you can have 16 teams this good, it’s kind of hard to fathom.”

On Saturday, John Calipari and Arkansas will look to add to their résumé as they square off against No. 8 Texas A&M at noon ET. The game will air live on ESPN.