John Calipari has made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the impressive 16th time, and this journey may turn out to be one of the most rewarding. His Arkansas Razorbacks took down their longtime rival Rick Pitino and the No. 2 seeded St. John’s team with a solid 75-66 victory on Saturday. This achievement sends Calipari to the second weekend of the tournament, a milestone he has reached with four different schools.
Billy Richmond III led the Razorbacks with 16 points while Karter Knox contributed 15. As the 10th seed, Arkansas previously eliminated Kansas under Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, showcasing their competitive spirit and resilience.
Calipari finds deep satisfaction in this win, especially considering it’s his first year at Arkansas. After a rocky start to the Southeastern Conference schedule, where the team faced several early-season injuries and fell to 0-5, this comeback is indeed commendable. “This is as rewarding as a year I’ve had, based on how far we’ve come,” Calipari remarked.
For St. John’s, Zuby Ejiofor had a standout performance, scoring 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while the conference player of the year, RJ Luis Jr., struggled with just nine points. Pitino acknowledged that Arkansas outperformed his team, showing once again that March Madness can bring unexpected outcomes regardless of a team’s regular-season success. “They deserve to move on, and we don’t,” Pitino said after the game.
Pitino, having a storied history in Providence, came into this tournament with experience from coaching at six different schools. This year, St. John’s entered with the nation’s top defense, but unfortunately, their shooting failed them against Arkansas. They became one of the surprising early exits from the tournament.
Calipari recognized the challenge St. John’s posed. “If they made a few shots, they probably beat us. We were fortunate to get out,” he stated. Both teams struggled with their long-range shooting, converting only four 3-pointers on a combined 41 attempts.
As the game came to a close, Arkansas maintained a lead, and despite a late push from St. John’s, the Razorbacks ultimately held on to secure their victory. The outcome brought joy to the Arkansas supporters present in the crowd as the team celebrated their advancement in the tournament.
Next, Arkansas will travel to San Francisco, where they will face the winner of the matchup between Texas Tech and Drake. This promising journey in the tournament continues to unfold, and fans are hopeful that their team can go even further.
