John Calipari fires back at critics after Arkansas SEC Tournament win: 'You can be P'd off or P'd on'

On Sunday, Arkansas defeated Vanderbilt 86-75 to claim only its second SEC Tournament title in program history. After the triumph, Razorbacks head coach John Calipari fired back at critics who question his emphasis on individual success.

“That’s what we should be in the business for. You want to win, but it’s the name on the back that I’m in the business for,” Calipari said. “Now, I’ve kind of been that way and done all right at every school I’ve been at. So you could say it’s wrong, or you can live with it. You can be P’d off or P’d on. I really don’t care.”

With the win, Calipari became the first coach to win an SEC Tournament championship at multiple schools. Calipari won the SEC Tournament six times as Kentucky‘s head coach. This is his first conference tournament title with the Razorbacks.

In the win, star guard Darius Acuff Jr. was spectacular, tallying 30 points and 11 assists, while shooting 9-20 from the field and 5-8 from 3-point range. Acuff was far from Arkansas’ only standout.

Veteran forward Trevon Brazile caught fire down the stretch for Arkansas. He finished the game with 16 points and nine boards on impressive 4-5 shooting from downtown. Razorbacks guard Billy Richmond II added 18 points of his own to Arkansas’ winning efforts.

Nonetheless, Calipari was perhaps prouder of DJ Wagner than any other player. Wagner followed Calipari to Arkansas after spending his freshman season at Kentucky in 2023-24.

Wagner was the No. 7 overall player in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings, and widely expected to be a one-and-done at the collegiate level. While Wagner hasn’t reached the heights in college some analysts expected, he’s been key to Arkansas’ success this season.

On Sunday, Wagner recorded 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, while shooting a flawless 3-3 from beyond the arc. John Calipari raved about his junior leader after the win.

“Yes, we’re doing it for Arkansas. But me, I’m so proud of D.J. Wagner what he did the last rebound he got, the 3s he hit, how he defended, the energy he brought,” Calipari said. “… Without him, we don’t win this game.

“You can go so far as to say D.J. won this game. And he’s playing with more confidence which leads you to be more aggressive. But you have to have more confidence. The kid lives in the gym. He’s one of the greatest young people that I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached a bunch of them.”