Jeff Teague once scoffed at John Calipari’s coaching ability, arguing that despite his 1,000+ career wins and six Final Four appearances, he wasn’t an elite strategist. After all, for a coach who has worked with 26 NBA lottery picks, shouldn’t he have more than just one national title?
But numbers can’t always explain the madness of March. On Sunday night, Calipari’s 10th-seeded Arkansas squad stunned St. John’s in a 75-66 upset. This proved that coaching, not just talent, wins in crunch time. For Teague, it was a reality check. And for Calipari? It was a statement.
Teague had always seen Calipari as more of a recruiter than a coach. Despite coaching NBA stars like Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, and John Wall, Calipari has just one national championship to his name (2012). Many, including Teague, have long questioned whether his talent-first approach comes at the expense of tactical coaching. During his Club 520 podcast, he pointed out that despite all the talent Calipari had worked with, the silverware remained scarce.
“If you watch his X’s and O’s,” Teague said, “I ain’t going to lie; if I had a whiteboard, I could write the plays they did every single time down.” He even broke down Arkansas’ offense, saying they ran the same sequence over and over—DJ Wagner getting a pin-down, popping back up, and then going into a ball screen. To him, it was predictable, and Arkansas was winning purely because of talent and defense.
But here’s the thing—if that was the case, then how did Calipari just take a No. 10 seed past a powerhouse like St. John’s? Coaching has to count for something, right? Teague’s comments may have been harsh, but even he had to acknowledge that Calipari’s game plan worked when it mattered most. “I was more impressed with Calipari, though, because I never looked at Coach Cal as a great basketball coach,” Teague said, thus backtracking on his previous opinion of Calipari.
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: Arkansas at Louisiana State Jan 14, 2025 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts to a play against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Baton Rouge Pete Maravich Assembly Center Louisiana USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxLewx 20250114_kdn_la1_104
Considering John Calipari’s message as the coach for No. 10-seeded Arkansas, he surely deserves all the praise from Teague. Calipari’s ability to inspire his players in key moments has been a hallmark of his career.
“How about we give ourselves a chance to make some magic?” he told them. “Let’s go fight like heck, play free and loose, [and] whatever happens, happens.” Well, magic did happen. The Razorbacks are moving on, and whether Teague fully admits it or not, Calipari just gave him a reason to rethink everything he thought he knew.
The Razorbacks fought through a tough season to reach this point.
John Calipari’s previous issues and challenges ahead
Arkansas basketball has been on a rollercoaster ride this season, battling inconsistency and injuries along the way. At one point, it genuinely looked like this team wouldn’t even make the NCAA Tournament. But just when things seemed bleak, they turned it around with a late-season push. And now here they are – headed to their fourth Sweet 16 in five years. Quite the turnaround, right?
Now, the Razorbacks have a massive challenge ahead. They’ll be going up against three-seeded Texas Tech on Thursday, fighting for a spot in the Elite Eight. Taking down the Red Raiders won’t be easy, but this group has already shown it can rise to the occasion.
And here’s what makes them even more dangerous—they’re athletic, experienced, and playing with house money. That’s a nightmare combination for any team left in the tournament. With everything clicking at the right time, Arkansas is a team no one wants to face. And John Calipari deserves a ton of credit for getting them here.
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