John Calipari acknowledges Arkansas turnaround won’t be “magic”: “This will take time”

John Calipari’s No. 20 Arkansas is 3-1 through its first four games. However, there is room for improvement when looking at the details. The coach addressed the situation after the Razorbacks’ 91-72 win over the Pacific Tigers on Monday.

Acknowledging the potential for improvement, Calipari shared that the program has its work cut out. He also urged fans to exercise patience as the performances will improve with time.

"I got a lot of work, folks," Calipari said to On3. "I am not a magician, I don’t have a magic wand and, poof, they’re going to be better. This will take time."

One of the recurring patterns in Razorbacks’ basketball is the close first-half scores, even against mid-major opponents like the Lipscomb Bisons (28-39), Troy Trojans (26-27), and Pacific (37-44). This results in an average win margin of 17 points, bringing light to their overall scoring issues.

The Kentucky Wildcats, in comparison, began its season on a lower note than Arkansas, but are undefeated and came out victorious against Duke. They currently have an average scoring differential of over 25 points.

Arkansas has logged in only one 80-point game. In the highly competitive SEC, they are the only team besides the LSU Tigers to lack multiple 80-point outings in their first four contests.

John Calipari appreciates his team's defense

John Calipari’s experience and ability to make adjustments have allowed Arkansas to grip their matchups in the second half. A lot of it comes from their defense.

"I like the fact that we can guard. We can guard the ball," Calipari said. "We’re physical enough. You’re not going to bull us over."

The coach claims that Razorbacks as their defense will begin covering more ground in some time:

"We’ve got work to do. Our hands are down too much. That’s why you get threes. Hands up – we worked for two days, we need about three weeks. Pick and roll defense? A little bit better."

Calipari's defense is holding teams to less than 64 points on average. It is better than teams like Alabama, Vanderbilt, Florida and Kentucky, 8th best in the SEC.