John Calipari, Arkansas hand Kansas first Round of 64 loss since 2006
John Calipari's first NCAA Tournament game as head coach at the University of Arkansas was topsy-turvy, to say the least.
10th-seeded Arkansas handed seventh-seeded Kansas a 79-72 loss in a game that was a tale of two halves.
The Razorbacks took a 47-44 lead into the locker room at halftime, but scoring slowed to a crawl in the second half. Kansas' zone defense bewildered the Hogs, who scored only 21 points in the first 18 minutes of the second half.
However, Kansas was unable to capitalize. In the final minutes, the Jayhawks made an abundance of turnovers, allowing Arkansas to close out the game. With 1:47 to go, a three from Johnell Davis gave Arkansas a four-point lead, and free throws from Davis and D.J. Wagner sealed the deal and sent Arkansas to the Round of 32.
Archaic. Absurd. ADVANCING. pic.twitter.com/buqUi6IhYF
— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball (@RazorbackMBB) March 21, 2025
"We gutted it out all game," Calipari told CBS' Evan Washburn.
The loss was the first in the Round of 64 for Kansas since 2006.
Arkansas will play the winner of 15th-seeded Omaha and second-seeded St. John's on Saturday. If the Razorbacks can win again, it would be their fourth trip to the Sweet 16 in their last four NCAA Tournament appearances.
After a one-year NCAA Tournament hiatus, the Razorbacks have returned to the Big Dance with the opportunity to prove their critics wrong by making a deep run.
