Arkansas pulled out the 94-86 win against Missouri on Saturday night, but Razorback coach John Calipari was already preparing himself mentally for a loss.
The Razorbacks were coming off of a devastating double-overtime loss over Alabama, and Calipari wasn't going to fault his players for coming out flat against the Tigers.
“I did not know what to expect, and I was prepared to defend them if they just didn’t have it today,” Calipari said. “I was ready.”
“Wouldn’t you expect a letdown in this game? I did," Calipari continued. “I told the staff, ‘If they really come out and give us something, they’re better than I thought, because half of this is the mental part of it, especially now.’”
Arkansas came out firing against Mizzou despite brutal OT loss days before
It's fair to assume that after a double-overtime thriller Calipari's squad might have been fatigued, but instead Arkansas had a strong showing all the way around with five players scoring in double figures. While Missouri wasn't bad in their own right, shooting 55 percent from the field, they just couldn't keep pace with Arkansas' scoring barrage.
The Tigers had a chance to defeat back-to-back ranked opponents after taking down No. 19 Vanderbilt earlier this week, but Missouri struggled against Arkansas' pro-level talent.
“Our guys executed some things, but this is one of the most talented teams, pound for pound,” Gates said. “They play seven guys, but six of them will be in the NBA."
Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr., who is averaging 22.2 points per game this season, is currently as a projected NBA Draft lottery pick.
Mizzou will now have some work to do over the last four games to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They'll welcome Tennessee to to town next on Feb. 24.