In one of the bigger upsets of the NCAA Tournament, one of the first high seeds lost to John Calipari’s team. His No. 10 Arkansas got the best of Rick Pitino’s No. 2 St. John’s in a 75-66 thriller. The most acclaimed coaches renewed their rivalry, but it was the Razorbacks coach who moved to 14-10 all-time against Pitino in their games against each other as college coaches. But it seems the coaching rivalry was not a priority for Coach Cal.
“If you went through the year, we went through when we were 0-5 when we 1-6 and they said they got no chance of making the NCAA tournament. When you’re playing games you’re not worried about the other coach, you’re about survival.” Arkansas head coach John Calipari was on the Dan Patrick Show to recap his big win over Rick Pitino and St. John’s. Instead of focusing on the rivalry, Hogs HC wanted the team to focus on winning, which they did in a physical matchup.
“I didn’t care. It was about let’s just win.” As they continue to defy the odds, Dan Patrick asks if being the underdog in the tournament helps the Arkansas team. “I’m fine in that role; I’m comfortable in the role. I’m just trying to make sure my team is comfortable in that role,” said Calipari. For their upcoming game against the Texas Tech too, the messaging won’t change from the 66-year-old. “I’m just saying we’re the underdog, okay. And every time they play in those kind of games they play well.”
As coach Cal stated, the team really is an underdog, especially at the start of the season. The team did struggle in the beginning as the Hogs were 11-7 with a 0-5 start in conference play. The HC used all his experience of coaching at the highest level and turned it around. Despite a tough conference slate with a 9-6 finish to the season.
Looking back at how John Calipari turned it around against his long-time rival
Calipari’s dominance over Pitino continues. In the last 10 years, he now holds a 9-2 record against his longtime rival. During the second-round matchup, Arkansas struggled from deep, shooting just 2-19 from beyond the arc. A similar struggle from the deep was the problem for St. John as well. They shot just 30% from beyond the arc all season. And in this game? A dismal 2-22 from deep.
NCAA, College League, USA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round Practice Mar 19, 2025 Providence, RI, USA Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari answers question during the First Round Practice Session press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Providence Amica Mutual Pavilion RI USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGregoryxFisherx 20250319_jla_fb5_201
Furthermore, Rick Pitino’s team could only accumulate 28% from the field overall, which shows where they lost the game. Coming into this game, the Red Storm established itself as one of the best defenses in the country restricting their opposition to just 65 points per game. Even John Calipari stated better shooting could have helped his long-time rival prevail.
“You know, Rick did a great job with his team all year. If they made a few shots, they probably beat us. So, we were fortunate to get out and but I’m proud of these guys.” The Razorbacks went 4-1 in its last 5 games of the regular season and defeated two coaches who share a combined win count of 1700 and 4 national titles in 48 hours of the NCAA tourney. If they continue this streak, they might not only surprise the fans but also one of their alums! With this win and in his first season with the team, Coach Cal is back in the Sweet 16 for the 16th time.
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