John Calipari has coached two college games in Washington, D.C. His teams lost both of them.
His third try comes Sunday against a top-10 opponent.
No. 12/13 Arkansas (1-0) faces No. 9/10 Virginia (2-0) in the Capital Showcase at Capital One Arena. The game tips at noon CT (1 p.m. ET) on ESPN, with Kevin Brown and Sean Farnham calling it.
It’s billed as the program’s first game in D.C., though that comes with a footnote.
On Feb. 3, 1985, the Razorbacks played No. 2 Georgetown in Landover, Md. The Hoyas won 56-39.
Landover sits about 15 miles from the heart of the city. Georgetown and the Washington Wizards both used to play there, but it’s still Maryland.
Calipari still looking for a win in town
His first visit was Feb. 4, 1995. George Washington beat his No. 2 UMass team 78-75 at the Smith Center while President Bill Clinton watched.
He came back on Dec. 13, 2008, with No. 19 Memphis. No. 17 Georgetown won that one 79-70 in overtime.
That game was played in the same arena Arkansas uses Sunday, back when it was called the Verizon Center.
Virginia hasn’t been kind to him, either.
His only game against the Cavaliers came in the 1993 NCAA Tournament. UVA knocked UMass out in the second round, 71-56.
That leaves him 0-2 in D.C. and 0-1 against Virginia.
Two Razorbacks come home
Jordan Smith Jr. won’t need directions to the arena. He was born and raised in D.C., and teammate Cooper Bowser is from Bridgewater, Va.
Virginia leads the all-time series 4-3. UVA won the first three meetings, but Arkansas has won three of the last four.
The two programs have met on a neutral floor four times.
The Cavaliers took the first two. They beat Arkansas in the second round of the 1984 NCAA Tournament, then won 78-66 in Pine Bluff in December 1986.
The Hogs got one back in the 1995 Elite Eight, a win that sent them to the Final Four.
The most recent neutral-site meeting was in Alaska at the 1998 Top of the World Classic. Arkansas won 85-83.
Campus games have gone to the home team. Virginia won both times in Charlottesville, in January 1985 and November 1998, while Arkansas won the lone game in Fayetteville in December 1987.
The Hogs want to run
Arkansas scored 45 fast-break points against UAPB, the most in a game since the stat was first kept in 2011-12.
The old high was 38, against Texas last season.
The Texas and UAPB games were the Razorbacks’ last two regular-season games at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas scored 105 on Texas and 106 on UAPB. Fast breaks accounted for 83 of those 211 points.
Running is nothing new for this group. The Hogs ranked second in the country in fast-break points last season at 18.84 per game, and they’re third after one game this year.
The UAPB game also put Arkansas at the line plenty. The Razorbacks made 30 of 42 free throws, and both totals are the highest of the Calipari era.
Nationally, the 42 attempts rank seventh after one game. The 30 makes rank sixth.
Back to Bud Walton next week
After Sunday, Arkansas heads home for two games at Bud Walton Arena.
Robert Morris comes in Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Central Arkansas follows Friday, Nov. 13. Both games start at 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Sunday’s radio call is on the Razorback Sports Network with Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman. You can also hear it on SiriusXM channel 246 or channel 256 on the SXM app.
On the radio fans can hear the game on ESPN Arkansas 93.7 and 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in Fort Smith and the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
