John Calipari’s first season at Arkansas just got a whole lot sweeter. The veteran coach, in his return to the NCAA Tournament, led his 10th-seeded Razorbacks past longtime rival Rick Pitino and No. 2 seed St. John’s, securing a 75-66 victory in the West Region’s second round on Saturday.
The win sends Arkansas (22-13) to the Sweet 16, where they will face No. 3 seed Texas Tech in San Francisco. For Calipari, this marks his 16th career Sweet 16 appearance, but perhaps none have been as satisfying as this one.
This wasn’t just about advancing—it was personal. The 65-year-old Calipari has long been entangled in coaching battles with Pitino, dating back to their days in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry. Now, in his first season in Fayetteville, he took a Razorbacks squad that once sat 0-5 in SEC play and molded them into a March force, knocking off Hall of Fame coaches in back-to-back games—Bill Self and Pitino.
“I know what this means to our fans, but I’ll be honest, this one meant a lot to me,” Calipari said after the game. “Rick’s a legend, St. John’s is a great team, but our guys never backed down.”
Freshman Billy Richmond III scored 16 points, while Karter Knox added 15 for Arkansas. The Razorbacks imposed their will early, jumping out to a 13-point first-half lead and weathering multiple St. John’s rallies.
St. John’s (31-5) had no answer for Zuby Ejiofor, who dominated with 23 points and 12 rebounds. But RJ Luis Jr., the Big East Player of the Year, struggled mightily, scoring just nine points on 3-of-17 shooting.
Pitino’s Red Storm, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, entered the game with the nation’s No. 1 defense and a program-best No. 2 seed. But their shooting woes proved fatal.
The game’s defining stretch came in the final six minutes when St. John’s cut Arkansas’ lead to 62-60. However, the Red Storm missed six straight 3-pointers and finished just 1-of-9 from the field in the closing minutes. Ejiofor’s dunk with 20 seconds left was too little, too late.
Knox sealed the game at the free-throw line, and when Deivon Smith dribbled the ball off his knee on St. John’s next possession, the celebration was on. Arkansas players waved to their fans in the crowd, knowing they were heading to the second weekend of March Madness.
Arkansas now prepares for a Sweet 16 showdown against No. 3 seed Texas Tech, another defensive juggernaut, in San Francisco. But with momentum on their side and Calipari orchestrating yet another deep tournament run, the Razorbacks look poised for more.
For St. John’s and Pitino, the season ends in disappointment. Despite 31 wins and a Big East title, their first tournament in five years ended far earlier than expected.
For Calipari, however, it’s another chapter in a storied career—and maybe, just maybe, the start of something special in Fayetteville.
