FAYETTEVILLE -- It will be No. 10 Arkansas against No. 7 Kansas Thursday night at 6:10 p.m. in the West Regional from Providence, R.I.
Arkansas (20-13) and Kansas (21-12) played in a preseason game prior to the season. Arkansas won that game 85-69 in a benefit contest. John Calipari downplayed any significance from that preseason game to the one now.
"They didn't have (Hunter) Dickinson," Calipari said. "We didn't have Jonas (Aidoo). We were centered around Boogie (Fland). They were still trying to figure out stuff and it was, you know. I'm glad they were doing it. It was a full out, we made money for charity but no, it has no bearing on this game."
Calipari has a lot of respect for Bill Self and knows the Jayhawks will present a lot of challenges to the Hogs.
"Their two big guys are really as good as it gets in college basketball," Calipari said. "One is the leader scorer of any player in college basketball. He's the leader scorer. AJ (Storr) just does stuff. He can do this and do this and he can do this. Their guards understand what they're supposed to do and how they play. I know they struggled some, so have we. I also know Bill will get his team right and they're going to come into this game and play their best. My hope is we're who we are and we can play our best. It's the time of year you're playing. It'll be a hard game."
Dickinson leads the Jayhawks averaging 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. Guard Zeke Mayo averages 14.5 points per game and shooting 41.3 from beyond the arc. After getting a scare of sorts on Sunday Calipari is happy to be playing anyone at anywhere.
"Do you want me to tell you exactly?," Calipari said. "It came down to the last four teams and we weren't in yet. I'm like, could they possibly do that when four teams that got in were below us in the SEC? They can't do it. Can they do it? And we got in. Then I started breathing. I still haven't thought of all the other stuff you talked about. We have a hard game, a hard game tomorrow. Hard game. I just want to be at my best where I'm helping these kids for 40 minutes. I do everything I can to help them. This year I have had to do this a lot (biting hand). You have seven guys. They throw it away, I had one guy have seven turnovers in a game and I told him you're doing fine (biting hand). I mean, so, no, I haven't."
While Calipari has a lot of respect for Kansas, he also praised his own players.
"Really, really good kids, starting with D.J. (Wagner)," Calipari said. "He's a culture builder. Billy Richmond is opposite. He couldn't care less and that's how he plays and I'm happy. I have to deal with his turnovers. Karter (Knox) is better, Jonas (Aidoo) is healthy TB (Trevon Brazile) is taking advantage of his opportunity. One guy's misery is another guy's opportunity. Now we need Z (Zvonimir Ivisic) to play. Nelly (Johnell Davis), everybody wrote him off and now Nelly is playing well. It took some time, but so what.
"We came together, I walked in and I said I would like to see the team before the press conference and I went in and there was no team. So we had to piece a team together and do this and that, means you better have good guys. Whether it be recruiting or this transfer portal, it's really important for us that they're good people because it doesn't always go like this. Sometimes it goes like that and the only way you can dig out is if you have good people."
Calipari has a lot of history against Self, but he said Wednesday that hasn't been on his mind this week.
"I have been so locked in to what I have to do for this group that I haven't," Calipari said. "I kind of predicted it. I predicted to my team in practice, here's what they're going to do to us... should I say it that way? The team is like how? Because I've done this. But playing someone I have respect for in this is hard. Both of us are trying to beat each other's brains in. Then you feel bad and then you move on thinking about the next game.
"No, they're good, they're big. They struggled some, so have we, but he's a great coach, has built terrific programs and cultures that win. So it will be a hard game for us, a really hard game."
The game can be viewed on CBS.
Photos Craven Whitlow
