Arkansas basketball remains stuck as schedule begins to get tougher

Arkansas basketball didn't have to play its best to beat Central Arkansas on Friday night in Bud Walton Arena, and the Hogs definitely didn't come anywhere close to their top level of performance. The fact that UA didn't have to max out to win a game doesn't really offer that much comfort - not when a team is so young and unproven. If this was a bunch of veterans jogging through some cupcake games and very clearly saving their emotional fuel for the bigger games which are coming up, that would be one thing. For a young team with so many teenagers who have to make many adjustments from high school to the college game, it's a different story. 

You can see the immaturity in this team. That's not a surprise and it's not even a criticism. Of course a team this young was going to exhibit these kinds of habits early in a season. The hope was that the team's athleticism and hunger would be so contagious and pervasive that it would overwhelm the lack of basketball IQ and the inexperience at the collegiate level. That simply hasn't happened. It hasn't worked out that way. John Calipari knows that he has to get inside his players' heads and drill down some important truths not only about understanding basketball, but competing the right way and acquiring the mindset of a champion. These young players have a fragile sense of confidence right now. After getting boat-raced by Virginia, it's totally understandable that these players would wobble and stumble and not carry themselves as big dogs on the court. 

Once Calipari can get these guys to acquire and then maintain a big-dog mentality, Arkansas is going to take off and become a wagon, a team no one will want to face in March Madness. Right now, however, these are young pups who need guidance and encouragement so that they can make the transition from being athletes - young human beings with a lot of natural talent - to winners, alpha males who know how to own the moment and display firm leadership on the court, for themselves and each other, at all times.

Some of this is basketball IQ, but a lot of it is about the pursuit of maturity, confidence and composure. When something bad happens and the opponent makes a run, as Central Arkansas did in this game, can UA players respond the right way? Sports, like life, are imperfect. This young team needs to learn how to deal with imperfection and adversity. How well, and how quickly, John Calipari can create this learning process will determine how successful Arkansas basketball can be.