Arkansas’ (21-13) NCAA tournament first-round matches against Kansas (21-13) definitely lived up to the expectations. The Cienas were super exiting as the two teams were neck-on-neck through the entire game. In the end, the Razorbacks came out on top winning the game 79-72.
Reckon it was Arkansas head coach John Calipari’s priceless experience. What sets Calipari apart from others is not only having an extensive undefeated track record, but also knowing who is facing him on the other side of the field. His matchups against Kansas head coach Bill Self gave him the understanding that decided the outcome.
As the reason behind Cailpri’s domination is attending an extremely high form of offence (47 points in the first half) his rivals have no option but to improve their defence. Self tried something new with Arkansas and Calipari was more than ready for what was coming next: “Our man offence, the way we’re moving the ball, and what we’re doing, I expected him to go zone and triangle and two you’ve got to know I’ve coached against him a bunch and he’s done both.”
But Coach Cal has stated that Aoud Thiero’s injury forced him to experiment with new strategies in the middle of the zone.
“I attempted a trap break, but that was unsuccessful so we placed a guard in the paint and later moved to Jonas Aidoo.”
And Aidoo clearly showcased why he was the best choice after the centre recorded a game high 22 points off 10-19 shooting.
His willingness to adjust, tempered with what to expect from Self whom Calipari has faced in a pair of national title games is what changed the game on Thursday night and will likely be needed to stave off Rick Pitino and St. John’s at what is likely the next date on the calendar.
Self and Kansas can be quoted as getting the final nails in the coffin, getting bounced in the opening round of the tourney for the first time since 2006. That added the final touch to a fading campaign that began with the Jayhawks touted as the number one-ranked team in the country.
