PORTLAND, Ore. — High Point is the last remaining No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Arkansas coach John Calipari said that one’s on the tournament selection committee. It scares him a bit.
“When you watched them play, they were probably better than that,” Calipari said. “What happens is, you don’t screw them by giving them that seed. You screw the team they are playing.”
On Thursday, that was fifth-seeded Wisconsin, which fell 83-82 to the Panthers on Chase Johnston’s lone two-point basket of the season.
On Saturday, fourth-seeded Arkansas (27-8) will look to avoid a similar fate when it meets High Point (31-4) in a second-round game in the West Region.
“I’ve been there when they had us an eight (seed),” said Calipari, whose Kentucky team beat No. 1 seed Wichita State in the second round in 2014. “I said, ‘Well, you just screwed the one (seed). We shouldn’t have been an eight.
“I’ve been in those situations. This is about trying to live another day. It doesn’t matter who you are playing. It’s about survive another day and let’s see what we can do.”
High Point ran its winning streak to 15 games when it overcame an eight-point deficit Thursday. Johnston has made 68 3-pointers this season, including four against the Badgers, and one 2-pointer.
“Our phone has been blowing up,” said High Point guard Rob Martin, who had 23 points and 10 assists. “It was a great win. We celebrated, but not too much. We still have more work to do.”
Arkansas showcased its athleticism with a 54-point first half in a 97-78 victory over 13th-seeded Hawaii on Thursday for its sixth straight victory.
“As long as we get stops and get out in transition, it’s easy to put that on display, and that’s kind of hard to guard,” said guard Meleek Thomas, who had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Thomas said a misstep forced him to leave the floor early in the second half. He missed about five minutes before returning, saying: “I don’t want to miss any minutes out there.”
The Razorbacks have used a seven-man rotation for the past month; therefore, any absence would be devastating. They were down to six rotation members when center Nick Pringle was held out against Hawaii because of a leg injury.
Saturday’s game will feature a point guard matchup between Martin and Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who was the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Acuff had 24 points and seven assists against Hawaii and is the only Division I player averaging at least 20 points and 6 assists per game. He is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft if he leaves school.
“Everything,” High Point coach Flynn Clayman said when asked about what stood out about Arkansas.
“They’re perfect basketball players, for the most part. That’s why they are going to be lottery picks. You get to a certain level in this game where there is not a whole lot you can do when guys are that good. There’s a reason you don’t have 70-point games in the NBA.”
Arkansas has the No. 2 scoring average (90.1 points per game) in the nation and the fourth-highest offensive efficiency ranking in KenPom. High Point also plays fast, 44th in KenPom in adjusted tempo.
“High Point is going to play the way they play. We are going to play the way we play,” Calipari said. “Let’s go play our best. If that’s not good enough, we’ve had a hell of a year. If it is good enough, let’s move on.”
–Jack Magruder, Field Level Media
