John Calipari on NCAA Tournament hopes for Arkansas: 'We have a chance'

Although taking another loss while on the bubble, John Calipari knows a berth in the NCAA Tournament bracket is still there to be had for Arkansas.

Calipari assessed the Razorback’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament after their 67-60 loss at No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday. With that, he said he doesn’t feel the pressure of that right now despite his team anywhere in projections from the Last Four In to the Next Four Out.

“Yeah, I can’t sleep at night. I got the shakes,” Calipari said sarcastically. “No. No. My focus is my team.”

As for the actual answer, Calipari says the ‘Hogs still have their opportunity to be in with at least six games left before Selection Sunday.

“I want to write our own story. I want us to write it,” Calipari said. “We have a chance. It is all in our hands.”

As many teams in the Southeastern Conference know, Calipari is basing that off of the strength of schedule remaining for his team. He might feel differently if they were in another league but, this year in the SEC, the Razorbacks will play quality competition with chances for wins that’ll affect their resumé in each of their five to end the regular season as well as however many they play in the conference tournament in Nashville.

“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.”

However, like Calipari said, the quality of those games doesn’t matter if you’re losing them. The ‘Hogs have lost three of four, all of which have come to top-ten teams by single digits, to fall to 15-11 overall and 4-9 in the SEC.

With that, Arkansas is going to be on the outside looking in come the next update to predictions for the bracket with two more rated opponents and four total teams in or hoping to be in the tournament on their schedule. That’s why March has come early for them with every game from here on out determining whether or not they’ll be in the field.

“I told ’em, finally, after last game because, you know, I didn’t want shaky hands. Every game we play is an NCAA Tournament game now. I didn’t want to say that before Texas A&M because I thought they’d miss every shot. But I said it for this game and I’m saying it,” Calipari stated. “It’s our NCAA! That is a Final Four game because that’s what they are. That’s a Final Four game. The next game is probably an Elite Eight game. Alabama was probably a Final Four game. The other one was an Elite Eight game. Every game we play? It tells us, okay, what’s going to work and what won’t?”

Arkansas has the record, and, as such, the tournament standing that they do because of the mark they’ve posted in league play. Now, their final few games in conference, not the selection committee, will be what determines whether it’ll be enough for them to get in with less than a month until the bracket is set.

“It’s in our hands. It’s not going to be in a committee’s hands. It’s in our hands,” Calipari said. “You either do it or you don’t.”