John Calipari oddly whispers players 'can't be awful' in postgame press conference

John Calipari is saying the quiet part aloud. After Arkansas‘ 67-60 loss to Auburn on Wednesday, the Razorbacks head coach brought down his volume while discussing his demands from his backcourt.

“They were better today. Look, they don’t have to be great off the charts. They just can’t be awful,” Calipari whispered. “Just be in there somewhere. And that’s where they were today. That’s where they were. They were right in that middle.

“Nelly [Davis] stepped up a little bit. DJ [Wagner] makes a 3. That’s what I’m saying. We’ve had some games where they haven’t done that. Now, I’ll say this, Billy Richmond, dude comes in every game, and I’m telling you, if you walked in our practice, you’d say that kid works as hard as anybody, probably our hardest worker. And it’s coming through on the court now.”

It’s no secret that Arkansas has struggled to get consistent performances from its guards this season. Of course, part of that is due to star freshman Boogie Fland suffering a season-ending injury in January.

Nonetheless, with over a month passed since the injury, Arkansas’ other backcourt members are still having trouble producing on a regular basis. In the Razorbacks’ loss to Texas A&M on Saturday, sophomore guard DJ Wagner scored just four points in 28 minutes.

Fifth-year senior guard Johnell Davis has begun to consistently score double figures but still has efficiency issues. The FAU transfer is shooting 38.3% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc this season.

The pair showed improvement in Arkansas’ loss to Auburn. They combined for 25, nine assists and four steals but were ultimately unable to escape with a win against the Tigers. With five games left in the regular season, the Razorbacks must prove why they deserve a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“If you’re in a league with no level-one wins, you got nothing left. Whatever your record is? It is. You have no (way). We, in this league? What makes it hard is they’re all Quad 1 wins or losses. But that also gives you a chance,” Calipari said. “We had a chance today. The A&M game tied up? We had a lead with three minutes to go here? We got a chance. Got to finish it off now. If you don’t finish it off or don’t take advantage, that’s on us.”

Arkansas will have another chance to impress the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Committee on Saturday when it squares off against Missouri at 8 p.m. ET.