The opponent is Mississippi State, but in truth, the Arkansas Razorbacks are their own toughest foe right now. It's time to change that.
Iconic New York Yankee Yogi Berra used to say, "It gets late early out there." He was referring to the Yankee Stadium outfield in the World Series, when October shadows would lengthen much earlier in the afternoon compared to a June or July summer day, but his expression conveys the point that time goes by quickly and life has to be seized at every moment.
This is where the Arkansas Razorbacks are as a basketball team as they play their first game in the month of February. It's February 7, one month before the end of the regular season and five weeks before Selection Sunday. It's getting late very quickly in the college basketball season. If teams want to win conference titles or gain high seeds in the NCAA Tournament, now is the time to make a move if those goals aren't likely to be achieved.
Arkansas is obviously in a far better situation in the first week of February this year compared to 12 months ago, but John Calipari faces the same basic challenge: Get his team to play its best basketball now and throughout the remainder of the journey. He succeeded last season, but after losing to Mark Pope and Kentucky a week ago -- the exact opposite of what happened last season -- Calipari can't be certain that his team will round into form.
The good news for Arkansas is that its off week -- the part of the schedule in which the Razorbacks did not have a midweek SEC game -- came at exactly the right time. This team has been sliding. It has played one really good game in its last five outings (Vanderbilt, January 20). The team which seemed to have a very high ceiling, and which beat Texas Tech, has had a lower floor than many anticipated.
Now it's time to pursue the high ceiling again.
Saturday Arkansas returns to the court with a road game in Starkville against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are 3-6 in the SEC, 11-11 overall. They will not make the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas needs to take MSU seriously, but in truth, UA's biggest opponent in this game is itself. The Razorbacks have to play 40 complete minutes with focus and energy. They need to lock in on defense. Everyone needs to contribute; Arkansas can't have multiple rotational players bring virtually nothing to the table.
It's time for Arkansas to conduct itself like a mature, hungry team which suffocates opponents the way it did late last season. Mississippi State might pose some challenges, but Arkansas has to rise to the challenge itself. If that doesn't happen, a once-promising season will not reach its intended destination.