DALLAS — Coaches John Calipari and Scott Drew, both national championship winners, find themselves in remarkably comparable circumstances as they embark on the current season, each leading Top 25 teams filled with new talent.
Calipari, who recently started his tenure at 16th-ranked Arkansas, is tasked with developing a completely new squad. “This is a brand new team that has never played together,” he stated.
In a matchup against Drew’s eighth-ranked Baylor Bears, the Razorbacks featured six transfers, including three who followed Calipari from Kentucky, along with three freshmen, ultimately facing a 72-67 defeat on Saturday night. The game took place at the venue of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and highlighted these two former Southwest Conference rivals.
Drew, entering his 22nd season at Baylor, boasts just one returning starter and nine newcomers. He remained in Waco over the spring when rumors linked him to the coaching position at Kentucky after Calipari departed following a celebrated 15-year stint with the Wildcats, which included a national championship triumph in 2021.
Jayden Nunn, the lone returning starter for Baylor, excelled by scoring 16 points and netting go-ahead baskets against Arkansas during key moments when the game was tied. The Bears (1-1) managed to maintain their lead throughout the contest.
Arkansas (1-1) struggled to counter Baylor’s frequently deployed zone defense but managed to narrow the gap to 70-67 following a late 3-pointer from freshman Boogie Fland with just 24 seconds remaining. Baylor, however, successfully broke Arkansas’s press and sealed the game with two free throws.
“We did some positive things in the second half,” Calipari noted. “It’s November, they’re a top 10 team, and we gave ourselves a chance.”
Despite the effort, the Razorbacks faltered at critical moments, missing six of their last eight shots in the final six minutes. The only turnover in that stretch occurred when transfer guard Johnell Davis was whistled for an offensive foul while driving against Duke transfer Jeremy Roach.
“Those are all fixable mistakes,” Calipari reflected. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe we have a talented team.”
Baylor, who lifted the national trophy in 2021, was seeking redemption after a heavy 101-63 loss to sixth-ranked Gonzaga in their season opener just five nights earlier.
Drew remarked that this second game was a much more accurate representation of Baylor basketball. “We took better care of the ball, shared it more effectively, made smarter shot selections, and improved our defense,” he explained. “Overall, it was a classic Baylor performance.”
Norchad Omier, a transfer from Miami, contributed significantly against Arkansas with a solid performance of 15 points and 12 rebounds, marking his 69th career double-double. These double-doubles and his active NCAA-leading total of 1,336 career rebounds underscore his impact on the game.
Baylor is the only team in the league to have faced two Top 25 opponents in their opening games. The Bears also improved their shooting percentage against Arkansas, hitting 46.6% from the field (27-of-58), a marked improvement from the 37% against Gonzaga in their previous matchup.
“It was incredibly gratifying,” Nunn expressed. “First and foremost, I want to give thanks to God for guiding us through the challenges we faced in our last game. Overcoming that adversity made this victory very rewarding for us.”