On Tuesday, John Calipari and two players participated in SEC Media Days.

Calipari addressed some famous coaches retiring such as Bruce Pearl most recently and then Jay Wright as well as others in recent years with all the changes to college basketball. Don't expect Calipari to make that type decision any time soon.

"Well, I want to help 25 to 30 more families," Calipari said. "The only way you do that is you're transformational as a coach. You're not transactional. If I become transactional, I'm going to pay you this to do this and that, then I won't do this anymore. I don't need to.

"I think all of those said I've done what I do, and I'm not willing to do all this to stay in the profession. If you watched us in practice, you would say he's still connected. I'll know before anybody else that it's transactional now. That's why if someone put their name in the portal, I said, You're not coming back because it's not going to be transactional. If this is what you want, let's go, let's work together."

Calipari has always been clear on his thoughts about the transfer portal.

"We talk about the transfer portal," Calipari said. "I don't mind kids transferring. You just can't transfer four times because it's not good for you. Four schools in four years, you'll never have a college degree.

"But that last place you'll be, they'll really be loyal to you, you're a mercenary, they're not going to be. We all -- maybe some of you not, but we all tried to get out of fast as we can. Some of you guys were the guys, I want to stay in school nine years, I guess.

"Why would kids want to stay in school five extra years? For money. Well, we got to say you got five years to play four, and that's it. That's all. If we get those two things in order, we're on the path to being better."

Bucky McMillan recently took over at Texas A&M and had no returning players when he got there. One reported noted that is something Calipari can relate to when he came to Arkansas.

"We started 0-5 in our league, so it's not like we just went in and went up," Calipari said. "I really believe in what we do, you better be with good people, your staff and the players, that they take responsibility, that we all own what's going on, including them and the staff. When things get rough, it's what kind of hardens you to what this really is about.

"The only people you can count on are the people in the room. If you're worried about all that other stuff, that's why I have on my wall: Coach your team. None of the other stuff matters. I would tell him make sure you got good people. Normally it's going to be rough early, then after that it gets better."

Calipari was also asked about all the recent talk of NCAA Tournament expansion.

"Well, I just think you leave it how it is because if it's not broken, go with the known, leave that unknown alone," Calipari said. "We don't know what will happen to it. I'm not worried about money or anything else. I'm saying that tournament. I still don't know what all this transfer stuff, all the eligibility stuff's going to do. It could be two. They could have a mid-major team that average age is 26, they're pretty good, and all of a sudden they get to advance. It may be NIL has killed all the mid-major schools. I don't know. It's going to end up playing out. But I would leave the tournament alone, but that's just me."

The Razorbacks will host Cincinnati for an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 24, in Bud Walton Arena with the tip time 7 p.m.