PROVIDENCE — Ditch the familiarities and ignore the October exhibition.
That early meeting will have no influence on the first-round NCAA Tournament game between No. 7 Kansas (21-12) and No. 10 Arkansas (20-13), scheduled for Thursday night at 7:10 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Arkansas’ 85-69 thrashing of Kansas last fall is a minor detail as legendary coaches, Bill Self and John Calipari, prepare to meet again.
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Mar 19, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self speaks to the media during a press conference at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Calipari doesn’t put any stock into that meeting and Self might use it only for extra motivation.
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“They didn’t have [Hunter] Dickinson and we didn’t have Jonas [Aidoo],” Calipari said during Wednesday’s press conference. “We were centered around Boogie [Fland]. They were still trying to figure out stuff and I’m glad they were doing it. It was a sellout, we made money for charity, but no, it has no bearing on this game.”
Said Self: “I do know there are some things that they did in that exhibition game we would like to slow down and take away. Hopefully it benefited us by getting our butts kicked by them in that exhibition game and helped us prepare for this game.”
Self is 7-6 all-time against Calipari and the duo have two national championship matches against each other.
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What Bill Self says about Arkansas
Self might know Calipari well, but ultimately it will be the players who decide Thursday’s winner. The emergence of Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond III stood out to Self. Richmond has played in all 33 games but saw his minutes tick up to at least 20 over the last six contests. Brazile has scored in double figures in the last four games for the Razorbacks.
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“Athletically, they were much more physical and faster, especially at the guard spots,” Self said. “Granted, I watched them quite a bit through the year and watched a lot here of late, but it seems like, to me, the emergence of Brazile and Richmond has keyed everything.”
When Arkansas adds those contributions to that of Adou Thiero (15.6 ppg) and Fland (15.1 ppg), Calipari’s group could make a run.
“D.J. [Wagner] is playing at a high level, the other guys are playing at the level they were expected to play, too, in my opinion,” Self said. “But those two have taken off since we played the exhibition, and Fland was probably the best player in that exhibition game. Getting him back I’m sure will be a bonus for them.
“I can reflect back and say … 30 seconds left, down [by] three, [Calipari] ran this. I can remember those things. We are all kind of creatures of habit, so to speak, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he would try to do something similar, but I don’t really see it coach vs. coach. I see it team vs. team.”
What John Calipari says about Kansas
It starts with Dickinson. Kansas’ leading scorer averages 17.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. The 7-foot-2 Big 12 All-Conference star can take over a game.
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“Their two big guys are really as good as it gets in college basketball,” Calipari said.
Mar 19, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari looks over the First Round Practice Session for his team at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
“Their guards understand what they’re supposed to do and how they play. I know they struggled some, but so have we. I also know Self will get his team right and they’re going to come into this game and play their best. My hope is we’re who we are and we can play our best.”
Both coaches predicted that a first-round matchup was possible, and likely. They weren’t wrong.
“I kind of predicted it, I predicted to my team in practice,” Calipari said.
“Playing someone I have respect for in this is hard. Both of us are trying to beat each other’s brains in. Then you feel bad and then you move on thinking about the next game.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Coaches Bill Self and John Calipari preview the Kansas-Arkansas game
