Stephen A. Smith slams John Calipari over Sweet 16 blowout, NCAA Tournament shortcomings: 'It's not good Coach'

John Calipari‘s quest for his first Elite Eight appearance since 2019 came to a whimpering end Thursday night at the hands of No. 1 seed Arizona in San Jose. The Wildcats dominated the No. 4-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks 109-88 in the Sweet 16, winning their 12th consecutive game to advance to the Elite Eight.

While Arizona continues on the path to potentially its first National Championship since 1997, Arkansas‘ season comes to a merciful end. It now marks 11 seasons since John Calipari has led a team to the Final Four. His last appearance came all the way back in 2015, when he led 38-0 Kentucky into the event.

During Friday morning’s edition of ESPN’s First Take, the ever-polarizing Stephen A. Smith ripped Calipari for coming up short of reaching the Final Four once again.

“It hurts me to say it, but I’m gonna tell you the most disappointing (Sweet Sixteen) loss was Arkansas,” Smith said. “Not because of the loss, but it was because of the manner of how they lost. The sheer dominance that Arizona exhibited last night in whipping their ‘you know what’. That’s what I’m pointing to, which brings me to John Calipari…”

Stephen A. Smith compares John Calipari to coaches with multiple titles

The 21-point loss for Calipari’s Razorbacks marked his largest across 85 career NCAA Tournament games. Arizona led by as many as 25 points at one point, and Arkansas never held a lead. Across 34 seasons with four different programs, Calipari has just one National Championship (2012 at Kentucky).

“I love this man, but 34 years and one national title…” Smith continued. “I’m looking at this — three-time Coach of the Year, four National Players of the Year, 16 Conference Players of the Year, 21 Conference Freshman or Newcomers of the Year, 43 First Round NBA Draft Picks, four No. 1 overall NBA Draft picks. 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, 12 Elite Eights, 17 Sweet Sixteens.

“Not only does he only have one National Championship, but the man hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2015. I know it’s not easy, but when we talk about the elite of the elite coaches in college basketball history, we always bring him up. But they’ve always got multiple (National Championships). (Mike) Krzyzewski. You look at Roy Williams. Bill Self. Even Dan Hurley. Multiple championships. Billy Donovan. Multiple championships.

“We’ve got one from John Calipari. It’s not good, John. It’s not good, Coach.”