FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As Arkansas fans imagined what halftime might look like in early summer, it was easy to imagine that the Hogs and John Caipari were in the conversation in college basketball.

After all, not only had the Razorbacks nabbed a Hall of Fame coach to replace the departing Eric Musselman, but they had also put together a supposed top-five NIL package that meant they could sign just about anyone Arkansas wanted . Well, the Hogs are indeed once again the talk of sports across the country, just not in the way those whose lives revolve around the program hoped.

Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander, co-hosts of a podcast on the CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube channel, spent a solid 13-minute segment debating whether Arkansas or Rutgers are the biggest disappointment in college basketball. It didn’t take long for the decision and the general discussion to land squarely on the Razorbacks’ side.

“I think it’s fair to say right now that Arkansas is a bigger disappointment than Rutgers because Arkansas was ranked top 25 in the preseason,” Norlander said. “John Calipari, everything has been announced, some high-profile transfers. I think very few put them in the category of a Final Four contender, (they were certainly expected to be a team that would compete in the SEC), carrying home lights in the first round of the NCAA tournament and create a nice transition after a disappointing farewell season for Eric Musselman.

But he went beyond calling the Hogs a disappointment. He even went so far as to question whether Calipari has what it takes to drag his players and their massive bags of money into the big dance.

“Arkansas could miss the tournament entirely,” Norlander said. “So now I would probably go to Arkansas 1A, Rutgers 1B, and there are a few others.”

Parrish agreed, but took it a step further.

“I think missing the NCAA Tournament is more than just an issue,” Parrish said. “I think it’s a likely scenario at this point.”

When they broke it down, there just weren’t enough variables to project in Arkansas’ favor at this point. Right now it’s looking more and more like a repeat of last year’s Hogs rather than one of the three teams before them.

“There’s a real chance – I really can’t believe I’m saying this – I think there’s a real chance that they finish in the bottom four in the SEC,” Norlander said. “Your comment that Calipari hasn’t even gone 0-3 since 1989, which was his first year as head coach. What was he? 27? It’s just, it’s, it’s wild.”

The problem is a serious lack of wins. The only Top 85 win Arkansas managed was a neutral site game against Michigan in New York City that required a major comeback.

“Jan. 12 is your second-best win over Lipscomb,” Parrish said. “They are 11-5 overall, 0-3 in the SEC, 1-5 in the first two quadrants. A win in the first two quadrants. I was just playing around yesterday. Let me tell you some schools that have achieved more than a win in the first two quadrants, Wofford, Illinois State, Liberty, North Dakota State I mean, they’re just overwhelming Arkansas right now.”

Falling behind such a list of teams in terms of quality wins has quickly eroded interest and confidence in the Razorbacks across the country. It’s gotten to the point where they’re quickly going from being a dangerous team that none of the No. 1 seeds in the tournament want to play with, to an afterthought.

“They were relevant, but with each progressive defeat they become less relevant and less worthy of discussion,” Norlander said. “But after getting that chance against the Gators on Saturday and blowing an early lead that I couldn’t even come close to reaching until the end of the game, it’s getting late early for Arkansas, and I don’t know if there’s any regrets yet Buyer there.”

While there was the slightest debate as to whether Arkansas or Rutgers should be labeled the sport’s biggest disappointment, there was no doubt where the blame lay between the two. Arkansas offered the necessary facilities, a massive war chest and a chance for a fresh start, but it is the inability to approach this as a true fresh start for which Calipari is to blame.

“The only reason you’re in Arkansas is because these are the same things that happened in Kentucky,” Parrish said. “I don’t know it. It’s just not good when you get to a point last season, at Kentucky, where everyone is talking about it being the biggest disappointment in the country, or one of them, or what are they.” Or why are they not better? And then you change jobs, put together a similarly talented squad and people just all say the same things like “I’m not ready to end my career yet.” That hasn’t worked so far. That is clear.”

However, Norlander wasn’t ready to fully assess Calipari’s chances of turning things around. According to Ken Pom’s stats, Arkansas might be able to pick up six wins in the SEC and 17 overall, which would be just enough to prevail given how brutal the conference is.

“I think it might be too early to say, but if you’re already an Arkansas fan and you’re wondering, ‘Oh, what do we have here?’, I don’t blame you for thinking that way,” Norlander said. “We’ll see if they can change that. I don’t have much inspiration for the next six on the way. This will probably get worse before it gets significantly better.”

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