"I think Arkansas gets in": NCAAB analyst reveals what John Calipari's squad should do to make March Madness

After back-to-back upset wins for John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks, the squad's NCAA Tournament hopes seem possible. In an episode of the podcast "The Field of 68: After Dark" released late Wednesday night, NCAA basketball analyst Jeff Goodman shared what he thinks Calipari's team needs to do to receive a tournament bid.

"If they finish 4 games under .500 in the SEC with a good SEC tournament win or two, I think Calipari gets in," Goodman said.

The SEC is a competitive conference, with nine ranked teams, including three teams in the top five. Arkansas is currently 3-6 in conference play, but things seem to be turning around for the Razorbacks, with two of these three SEC wins coming in the last week.

Arkansas shocked the basketball world with a double-digit win over No. 14 Kentucky on Saturday. Calipari was previously with the Wildcats for 15 seasons, leading them to 12 NCAA Tournaments, four Final Fours, and the 2012 National Championship. One would think that this upset defeat would hold emotional weight for Calipari, but his quotes when facing the press after the game proved otherwise.

"We needed to win a game," Calipari said. "It doesn't matter who it was against."

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The Razorbacks proved that the win over the Wildcats wasn't a fluke when they defeated the 15-8 Longhorns 78-70 on Wednesday.

"We had to validate that last win, would you say? We had to validate it," Calipari said. "And coming here, we did."

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What's next for John Calipari's Razorbacks?

By Goodman's analysis, Arkansas needs to finish SEC play four games under .500 and get an SEC Tournament win or two under its belt to make the NCAA Tournament. The road to doing so, however, won't be an easy one.

The Razorbacks will return home on Saturday to host No. 3 Alabama, an SEC foe. The Tide are currently second in SEC standings, having dropped just one conference matchup this season to then No. 5 Tennesse, now No. 4.

After this tough contest, Arkansas will remain on its home court to face LSU. This appears to be a much more winnable game for Calipari's squad, as the Tigers are 1-8 in conference play. The Razorbacks won't get a long break from facing ranked opponents. Following their game versus LSU, they will match up against No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 1 Auburn, and No. 15 Missouri back-to-back-to-back.

The road to the NCAA Tournament for Arkansas would need to be lined with some SEC success, and while the team has dominated in consecutive conference wins, there's still a lot of work to be done by Calipari and his squad.