It was not for the lack of trying, but Arkansas had no chance against Arizona in their face-off in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at SAP Center at San Jose.
Not when the No. 1 Wildcats were firing on all cylinders at an efficient clip. They shot nearly 64% from the field to register the highest percentage in the Sweet 16 since 2005.
The No. 4 Razorbacks shot well at 48%, but it was simply not enough against the fiery accuracy of the Wildcats.
Arizona only lost twice in the regular season, and Arkansas coach John Calipari admitted that he wanted to avoid the Wildcats because of their size.
“Of all the matchups that I didn't want to see, it was this one,” said Calipari in the postgame conference.
“I told my staff, this is a bad matchup. Let's figure out how we keep this thing in check, and then maybe if we're close, if the pressure flips to them (we can win). We never made it where we could get it to eight, nine, seven (points) and flip the switch. They're good.”
"Of all the matchups that I didn't want to see, it was this one."
John Calipari knew Arizona's size was a mismatch for #Arkansas in the Sweet 16: pic.twitter.com/pXPfXoz6CI— WholeHogSports.com (@wholehogsports) March 27, 2026
Arizona tied its feat during its run to the national title in 1997 after six players scored in double digits, led by Brayden Burries and Koe Peat with 23 and 21 points, respectively.
The Razorbacks never held the lead and went down by as much as 25 points.
Calipari, who took a subtle dig at Kentucky coach Mark Pope, has failed to steer Arkansas past the Sweet 16 in his first two years with the team.
The Wildcats will battle No. 2 Purdue in the Elite Eight.
