Arkansas obviously has to beat Hawaii before it can worry about Wisconsin, but the Hogs have to accept -- and adjust to -- limitations in their NCAA Tournament opener
The Arkansas Razorbacks should be able to beat Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, but the way they go about their business matters. At the very least, it figures to matter.
The Hogs were fortunate at the SEC Tournament because both Alabama and Florida lost before potentially meeting Arkansas in the bracket. UA didn't have to play the two top seeds at the tournament and was therefore able to get by with less than its best against 11th-seeded Oklahoma and 15th-seeded Ole Miss. The Hogs were tired and worn thin, but facing Vanderbilt and not Florida in the final on Sunday gave them a winnable matchup. They took advantage.
In the NCAA Tournament, it will be harder for Arkansas to avoid a tough matchup. Wisconsin looms in the second round, and as any great NCAA Tournament coach will tell you, the NCAA Tournament is basically three two-game tournaments. It's not one six-game tournament but three weekends in which coaches need to not only win the first game but plan in ways which will give their team the best chance of winning that second game on the weekend with a short turnaround.
Arkansas has to be able to handle Hawaii in a way which won't leave the Razorbacks overextended and spent for Wisconsin. John Calipari has been in this business -- and this tournament -- long enough to know as much.
Darius Acuff played 117 minutes -- an average of 39 per game -- in the SEC Tournament. Calipari rode him hard because Cal needed Acuff to be on the floor. However, with Arkansas having played on a Sunday, the Hogs -- forced to play their opening game on Thursday afternoon (3:25 p.m. Central time) -- have a brutally short turnaround. They also have to fly to Portland.
This team is not in position to play its best game on Thursday. The schedule is absolutely ridiculous, but Calipari has to accept that point and not fight against it.
Darius Acuff simply can't play 38 minutes against Hawaii. He needs to play fewer minutes so that he will be fresh for Wisconsin. Calipari should sub out Acuff just before media timeouts (under-16, under-12, under-8, under-4). He needs to steal some first-half minutes. He needs to trust that his roster can hold the fort for two- or three-minute game segments in the first half so that Arkansas can then go full tilt in the second half and still have something in the tank for Wisconsin on Saturday.
This is a two-game tournament in Portland. How Arkansas handles Thursday will shape what the Hogs can do on Saturday, as they plan their path to the Sweet 16.