GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Arkansas coach John Calipari needs DJ Wagner’s 3-pointer in the final minute to avoid the most lopsided loss of his career.
Still, Saturday night’s 34-point loss at No. 7 Florida tied Calipari’s largest loss in 34 years.
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“Wait a minute. My first year at UMass, I have to have some of this,” Calipari quipped after a 111-77 loss to the defending national champion Gators.
No. Scored a few 30 points, but nothing better than this, or like Kentucky’s loss to Duke in November 2018. Calipari was coaching the Wildcats at the time.
“Look, I’ve been doing this for so long and things happen,” Calipari, in his second season at Arkansas, said after spending 15 years at Kentucky, nine at Memphis and eight at UMass. “I told them, ‘We had a great February. We have two games left. Let’s get out of here and go.’ I said this is not my team. This is not the team I’ve been coaching.
“But I do tell some guys, ‘You’ve got to do some self-reflection and be honest with yourself. Why are you playing like this?’ There’s nothing you can do about it.”
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The entire game was basically a blowout, with Florida building a double-digit lead early and extending it to 30 points midway through the second half before celebrating at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title.
The biggest drama came when Calipari and Florida State coach Todd Golden screamed at each other and received two technicals early in the second half. Calipari’s assistants had to pull him away from midfield. Golden, meanwhile, turned around and began irritating the home fans.
Both coaches said they couldn’t even remember what started the exchange.
“Who knows? We’re all competitors,” Calipari said. “He did a great job. I can tell you this: He outperformed me today.”
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No. 20 Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC) lost for the second time in February. Seven Florida players scored in double figures, and the Gators outrebounded the Razorbacks 51-31 and controlled the paint throughout.
“It’s going to be a matter of what we want versus what they want,” said Calipari, who won the trip to Gainesville six times. “If you stop playing, they keep moving their feet and putting you in bad positions. They did that to us a lot. We had some rebound opportunities. They just beat us to the ball. … They had 20 more rebounds than us. Come on. You’re not going to win that game. You’re not going to. You’re not going to.”
“I wish things could move a little faster.”
Billy Richmond III scored a Razorback-high 22 points, including 14 in the first 15 minutes. Darius Acuff Jr. led the SEC in points and assists, finishing with 17 points and six assists.
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But forwards Travon Basile, Nick Pringle and Malik Evan spent much of the night in foul trouble while trying to guard Florida’s strong frontcourt of Thomas Howe, Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyele.
“They’re not afraid to throw you around,” Calipari said of Florida State. “That’s the way they play. If you avoid their contact, you can’t play in this game. We had a bunch of guys trying to go sideways and come back, come back, come back. You can’t play like that.”
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