Calipari has message he wants to make clear

If Arkansas head coach John Calipari could have his team on the court playing in front of fans today he definitely would.

It's like it's Christmas day and he got the latest gaming console with a ton of games and he's got to wait until all of his buddies are done with their Christmas festivities. The wait is killing him because he just wants to share what he's got with someone else.

That's why the media got an e-mail on short notice that Calipari was inviting them out to watch practice a few days ago. He needed someone, anyone, to see what he was seeing and spread the word.

And spread the word they did. The team, and yes, this time there actually was a team, looked glorious in practice, and yes there were actually enough players to practice.

"It's nice that they can go at each other," Calipari said. "What we've been doing is conditioning, and it's without a basketball, and then we go and do what we just did. And we do that three days a week and that leaves them time for individual work. 

"So, I like where we are. It's July 7th. I'm not trying to have us in midseason (form). But you can see they're somewhat organized. To be organized in July, when again we do have four returners but everybody else is new, then I feel pretty good about it."

However, if his first person eyewitness accounts didn't do enough convincing, it's what he said in the press conference that put everyone on notice that he has little doubt his particular combination of players are good enough to possibly win a national championship.

"Our strength of schedule wasn't bad last year, but you schedule to your team," Calipari said Wednesday. "You don't schedule because you just want to schedule. 'You’ve got to look and say, ‘Ok, where are we? Is this too much for these guys? Are we being fair?’ So yeah, this schedule is good."

For those reading between the lines, there's not much need. Back up and simply read what's being said and align it with Calipari's actions.

Between the SEC making up half the Elite 8 and Arkansas going out and scheduling the remaining four non-conference teams, Calipari has laid down the gauntlet. He thinks he has the horses to run through any team in America.

Even the perceived easy win games he has scheduled have a tournament feeling. Just look at the addition of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Mount Saint Mary's in addition to Big XII NCAA Tournament qualifier Baylor.

They're just one more NCAA Tournament team slapped onto an already towering gauntlet of a schedule.

Florida, Texas Tech, Houston, Tennessee, Auburn, Michigan State, Duke, and Alabama top the card with at least one of those SEC teams likely to pop up on the schedule twice. Even if the Hogs went 4-5 against that field, they will probably be credited with four Quad 1 wins with five losses that will barely move the needle.

However, if Calipari thought he had a team that was going to go through that group with a losing record, he would have backed off slightly. After all, he said the schedule he puts together can't be loaded for the sake of being loaded.

It has to be a fair slate against which his team has a legitimate chance to win all games. His goal is to let his players prove to themselves what they ultimately have as a team, not tear them down beyond repair.

So, for those who are having a hard time getting the message, let's be perfectly clear. He's convinced he has a national championship contender and he can't wait for each of you to see it.

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