Head coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks have not had a successful season by their standards. It is a step forward from a disappointing 2024 season, but after three straight trips to at least the Sweet 16 from 2021 to 2023, missing March Madness for the second straight season would be unacceptable.
Fortunately for them, analyst Jeff Goodman thinks there is a path for them to the NCAA Tournament.
College Hoops Analyst Explains How John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks Can Secure a March Madness Spot
Arkansas does not have a game until Saturday after defeating Tedas 78-70 on Wednesday. They will resume their schedule against No. 3-ranked Alabama on Saturday. Picking up a win there would be big, but Goodman spoke on Thursday about why it is not essential on “The Field of 68.”
How realistic is it for Arkansas to make a tourney push?
“If they finish 4 games under .500 in the SEC with a good SEC tournament win or two, I think Calipari gets in” – @GoodmanHoops
WATCH:https://t.co/Wnm75kHgPz pic.twitter.com/Dm3yQJe8Rc
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 6, 2025
“So if you finish four games under .500 in the SEC I think Arkansas gets in. I really believe that. There’s just so many … I guess other than LSU at home and South Carolina, everything else is a quality win, and the losses are gonna be quality losses that don’t hurt your numbers.
“The question is can they sustain this? This is still a two-game run when again this is a team that had lost five straight, six of seven, hadn’t beaten anybody until the Kentucky game for the most part.”
“They had the Michigan victory on the neutral court where they came back from like 20 down. They won that one, and they beat Georgia, but they really didn’t have anything to their resume before the Kentucky win. Now Texas at Texas, I mean it’s a good win but Texas isn’t very good, I mean watch that first half. Arkansas’ defense looked good. Texas’ offense was completely inept in the first half. One of the worst displays I’ve ever seen.”
He is right when looking ahead at the schedule. Arkansas’ schedule is fairly straightforward. All of the games against ranked opponents are against teams in the top 25.
Three are against teams in the top 15, so losing to any of those teams should not impact their ranking when it comes to picking teams for March Madness. The unranked teams should all be beatable and will help boost their record.
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While the games still need to play out, there does appear to be a good chance that the Razorbacks will sneak into the NCAA Tournament. As everyone knows, that is all some teams need to go on a special run.
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