SEC Basketball Weekend: Can Arkansas Avoid an 0-3 SEC Start Against Florida?

This weekend in the SEC features some top matchups, with teams like Tennessee and Kentucky facing tough challenges. But one game stands out: Florida at Arkansas. The Razorbacks, led by Coach John Calipari, are at risk of going 0-3 in conference play. Calipari’s last time experiencing such a start was back in his UMass days in the Atlantic 10, way back in the 1988-89 season. To avoid this fate, Arkansas needs to pull off an upset against Florida, who are ranked 4th and fresh off a 30-point win over the same Tennessee team that beat Arkansas by 24 points just days earlier. It’s been a tough start for Arkansas this season. Despite a highly-ranked preseason roster, the team has struggled, winning just one game in the critical first two quadrants. In contrast, several other schools have more wins in these quadrants, including some from the University of California system.

Currently, Arkansas stands at 11-4 overall and holds a 1-4 record in the first two quadrants. Most of their victories come from lower-tiered matchups. They are now ranked 48th in the NET and 51st on BartTorvik. com, falling out of projections for the 2025 NCAA Tournament. While the Razorbacks still have time to turn things around, the reality is that they’ve looked like a team that’s been hastily assembled. Beating Michigan was a highlight, but they haven't shown much else, with their next best win being over Lipscomb in the early season. Despite the setbacks, let’s not forget that Calipari has engineered comebacks before. But for now, Arkansas is in a rut, showing the challenges of quickly building a cohesive team.

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