John Calipari thinks Arkansas ‘never had a chance’ to beat Houston

The Arkansas basketball team lost another tough non conference game on Saturday to Houston. Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari was brutally honest after the game, talking about his club’s performance.

“This is the only one that I never felt we had a chance…,” Calipari said postgame, per Pig Trail Nation. “This one kind of got away. Their guard play kind of dominated us.”

"This is the only one that I never felt we had a chance…"

John Calipari comparing the Houston game to the other four high-profile non-conference games Arkansas has played in this season. #WPS

Full post-game press conference: https://t.co/0ado7pzVmP pic.twitter.com/kBXaKOwNfQ

— Pig Trail Nation (@PigTrailNation) December 21, 2025

Arkansas lost, 94-85, in a high-scoring affair. The Razorbacks nearly outscored Houston in the second half, but just weren’t able to get the stops they needed.

“They were better than us,” Calipari said, per Whole Hog Sports. “They’re a better team right now. They’re more connected than we are.”

Houston shot 52 percent from the field. The Cougars improved to 11-1 on the season with the victory. Arkansas meanwhile fell to 9-3 overall.

Arkansas struggled to protect the basketball against Houston

The Razorbacks fell way behind early. Arkansas was trailing by more than 20 points in the first half, before going on a run. The club just couldn’t keep control of the basketball.

“We know they were trapping and we tried to make the hardest plays we can make, which are ending up turnovers,” Calipari said. “We only had two [turnovers] in the second half. How the hell do you have…10 in the first? That’s not who we are. Instead of making an easy play, you’re going to make the hardest play.”

Arkansas saw a four-game winning streak snapped in the game. The Razorbacks also missed 14 free-throw attempts, to finish just 60 percent from the line in the contest.

“We’ve been a great free throw shooting team,” Calipari said. “How many did we miss today? We missed 14.”

The Razorbacks committed 12 total turnovers, which led to some easy Houston baskets in the first half. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson said the goal was to keep Arkansas off-balance.

“Coming out the second half, we wanted to spread them and drive them and then play off penetration, and we had enough shots and got to the rim,” Sampson said. “Sometimes you can win games doing that.”

The Razorbacks next play James Madison on December 29.

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