Calipari killing two birds with one stone in early exhibitions

Arkansas coach John Calipari is killing two birds with one stone in early exhibitions against Kansas and TCU.

First, the contests are charity exhibitions with proceeds going to a good cause. Secondly, it will serve as a reality check — for better or worse — as the Razorbacks quickly learn where they stack up against top competition before the results count.

“We’re doing the exhibitions for Children’s Hospital,” Calipari said. “So, it gives us a chance to do something to give back to the community. But it also puts us against opponents, Kansas and TCU, that you’re probably going to get stung pretty good.

“But it’s perfect for us to figure out where we are right now. For our fans to see where we are. The staff. Everyone has an idea of where we are right now. And that we’ve got work to do.

“I’ve never promised to have a magic wand. My teams usually at the beginning of the year will struggle some, and at the end of the year we’re playing our best. I imagine that’ll be the same.”

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It is typical for teams to have intrasquad scrimmages and Division 2 exhibitions games, or even “secret scrimmages” closed to the public.

One would be hard-pressed to find many examples of programs playing a pair of high-profile preseason games in what will likely be full-capacity arenas. Bud Walton Arena is already sold out for Kansas on Oct. 25. Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth will be a hot ticket for TCU on Nov. 1.

“I’ve been saying this for a decade,” Calipari said. “Why are we not playing each other in exhibitions games? You’ve got TV you can put it on. Fans can see it. What’s the reason? And they said, ‘because.’

“By now letting us to do it as charity it solves two issues for me. It gets us involved in different things in our community, and we get to play these kind of people.”

It’s all part of the process for Calipari, who will be far more concerned with using the early exhibition opportunities to continue establishing his culture and expectations than he will the final result.

“You could take some spills early and they be what you need at that point,” he said. “We may play better than we thought, but this is all about building the culture of what is expected, and whatever that is, do more.

“Part of that culture is learning what not do to do lose. You want to lose a ballgame, do these things and you’re losing. It’s both that and here’s what it takes to win.”

It remains to be seen exactly how the games will be formatted. While it could be as simple as hitting the hardwood for a 40-minute tilt, Calipari expressed interest in getting creative with the setup.

“Bill (Self) and I, and Jamie (Dixon), we’re all good friends,” he said. “Let’s play zone for five minutes. Let’s press each other. Let’s do some situation work. Let’s do 2-3 minute situations. We’re up and down eight and see how we play.

“Why not? It’s good for both programs. People are going to want to see it. I like to challenge the guys, and when you’re doing this in another building, you need everyone to see where the program is against…

“You know, you get hyped if you play a couple bad teams. ‘We’re the best in the world.’ Then you come out and get your ears clipped back because you’re not really where you think you are. Most of us coaches would know that, and you try to warn everybody we’re not what you think we are, and nobody listens.”