GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Arkansas coach John Calipari needed D.J. Wagner\u2019s 3-pointer in the final minute to avoid the most-lopsided loss of his career.<\/p>\n
Still, the 34-point drubbing at No. 7 Florida<\/a> on Saturday night matched the worst margin of defeat in Calipari\u2019s 34 years.<\/p>\n \u201cWait a minute. My first year at UMass I had to have some of these,\u201d Calipari quipped after a 111-77 loss<\/a> to the defending national champion Gators.<\/p>\n Nope. Some 30-pointers, but nothing quite like this or Kentucky\u2019s loss to Duke in November 2018. Calipari was coaching the Wildcats at the time. <\/p>\n \u201cLook, I\u2019ve done this so long, stuff happens,\u201d said Calipari, in his second season at Arkansas after 15 years at Kentucky, nine at Memphis and eight at UMass. \u201cI told them, \u2018We had a great February. We got two games left. Let\u2019s get out of here and go.\u2019 I said it wasn\u2019t my team. This is not the team I\u2019ve been coaching.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I did tell some guys, \u2018You got to do some soul searching and be honest with yourself. Why did you play the way you played?\u2019 Not a whole lot else you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n It was mostly a debacle all game, with Florida building a double-digit lead early, stretching it 30 midway through the second half and then celebrating at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title.<\/p>\n About the biggest drama was Calipari and Florida coach Todd Golden screaming at each other early in the second half and drawing double-technicals. Calipari\u2019s assistants had to pull him away from midcourt. Golden, meanwhile, turned and started to rile up the home crowd.<\/p>\n Both coaches said they couldn\u2019t even recall what started the exchange.<\/p>\n \u201cWho knows? We\u2019re both competitors,\u201d Calipari said. \u201cHe\u2019s done a great job. I can tell you: He outcoached me today.\u201d<\/p>\n No. 20 Arkansas (21-8, 11-5 SEC) lost for just the second time in February. Seven Florida players scored in double figures while the Gators outrebounded the Razorbacks 51-31 and controlled the paint throughout.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was going to come back to our will versus their will,\u201d said Calipari, who had won his previous six trip to Gainesville. \u201cAnd if you stop playing, they keep moving their feet and put you in bad positions. And they did that to us a bunch. We had some opportunities to rebound. They just beat us to a ball. \u2026 They outrebound us by 20. Come on. You\u2019re not going to win that game. You\u2019re not.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish it would have gone faster.\u201d<\/p>\n Billy Richmond III led the Razorbacks with 22 points, including 14 in the first 15 minutes. Darius Acuff Jr., who leads the SEC in scoring and assists, finished with 17 points and six assists.<\/p>\n But forwards Travon Brazile, Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin spent much of the night in foul trouble while trying to defend Florida\u2019s formidable frontcourt of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not afraid to throw you around,\u201d Calipari said of Florida. \u201cThat\u2019s how they play. If you\u2019re avoiding their contact, you can\u2019t play in this game. And we had a bunch of guys try to go sideways and then come back and back and back. You can\u2019t play that way.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a> and here<\/a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-basketball<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 Arkansas coach John Calipari needed D.J. 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