John Calipari finds lessons as young Razorbacks lose to No. 9 Virginia

John Calipari picked a tough opponent on purpose for the second game of the season.

Virginia made sure he got his money’s worth.

The No. 9 Cavaliers beat Arkansas 91-72 on Sunday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

The Hogs actually held a lead early in the first half. Then Virginia settled in, and the rest of the afternoon belonged to the Cavaliers.

Calipari didn’t pretend otherwise afterward. He framed the day as a lesson, and he’s glad it came now.

“As a coach, you’ve got to expect some of this stuff,” Calipari said. “I’d rather learn it the second game of the year than learn it December something where I’m like, ‘Oh man.’”

It’s never fun to watch the Razorbacks lose to Virginia by 19. Still, they’re 1-1 with a long season ahead, and Sunday showed how much work sits between here and March.

Passing took the afternoon off

Arkansas handed out one assist in the entire first half, along with seven turnovers.

Virginia had 18 assists by the final horn. You can do that math.

“If I remember right, we had one assist at halftime,” Calipari said. “I’ll be honest; I’ve never coached a game where that’s the case.”

Davion Thompson owned that assist all by himself. The backup point guard logged 14 minutes before the break.

Jordan Smith Jr. had a rougher go. The freshman shot 3 of 8 in the first half and didn’t set anybody up.

Calipari’s halftime fix wasn’t subtle. He had the Hogs run sets that forced the ball across the floor.

He also made it clear what happened to anyone who ignored them. “If you don’t want to pass, guess what? I’ll make you pass,” he said. “If you don’t run what we’re saying to run, you’re coming out.”

Second chances, again and again

The second half looked better on paper. Arkansas dished out nine assists over those 20 minutes and gave the ball away eight times.

The free throw line wasn’t a friend either. A 6-of-13 first half (46.2%) left points sitting right there.

Then came the rebounding. Virginia snagged 19 offensive boards and cashed them in for 28 second-chance points. Arkansas had 14.

The Cavaliers hit 45.8% of their shots. Giving a team that efficient a second look is a bad way to spend an afternoon.

“Every time a shot went up, they were finding someone,” said Cooper Bowser, the Hogs’ starting center. “We knew they were going to come down every time.”

Thijs De Ridder did a lot of that damage. The Preseason ACC Player of the Year grabbed 10 rebounds, and half of them were on Virginia’s misses.

Two early fouls might’ve kept him seated in plenty of games. Virginia coach Ryan Odom sent him back in anyway, and it paid off. “I thought he just did a nice job,” Odom said. “He calmed down and came back in and really just was focused on trying to help the team win.”

Bowser and Billy Richmond III paced the Razorbacks with seven rebounds apiece. Maper Maker chipped in four.

Too much one-on-one

Calipari’s bigger worry didn’t live in the rebound column. It was guys trying to win the game by themselves.

“The ball was sticking in hands, and then when the ball moved, that guy was trying to score,” he said.

He also gave Virginia its due. “We weren’t ready for that kind of team,” Calipari said. “I thought we would be.”

He wants every player ready for whichever night ends up being his. “It may not be your game; it may be somebody else’s game,” he said. “Well, then next game you get ready because it may be your game.”

He called Sunday “a punch in the mouth” for a young group. Anybody who figured this season would be easy got that notion knocked loose.

Calipari still likes his depth. He said nine or 10 Hogs are capable of playing.

“But you still have faith in guys, and I do,” he said.

Robert Morris comes to town

The Razorbacks won’t have long to stew. Robert Morris (1-1) visits Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The ball goes up at 7 p.m. CT, and SEC Network+ has the stream.

By then, the Hogs might want to move the ball the way Calipari likes. He’s already told them what happens if they don’t.