Sometimes, a change of scenery is all you need.
John Calipari is one of the best coaches of this generation, but constant shortcomings at Kentucky had put doubt into whether he still had any juice left in the tank. So he left and went to Arkansas, trying to revive his prowess in success.
Now look who has his swagger back. The 10th-seed Razorbacks are back in the Sweet 16 after a second-round upset of No. 2 St. John’s, continuing Calipari’s remarkable first season as the head coach of the Hogs.
To be fair, this was the expectation the moment Calipari arrived in Fayetteville. But it didn’t look possible when Arkansas was 11-7 with an 0-5 start in conference play. It wasn’t crazy to question if this was the right marriage just 18 games in.
Turns out, Calipari just needed some time. Arkansas maneuvered through a tough conference slate with a 9-6 finish to the season and played its way into the tournament. Even as a No. 10 seed, Arkansas had potential to go on a run. Calipari just needed to overcome his NCAA Tournament demons: He only had one win his past three appearances and hadn’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2019.
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His team fended off Kansas on Thursday, and on Saturday matched the physicality of St. John’s in Saturday’s upset victory. Calipari told his team this has been “as rewarding a year” he’s had “based on the fact of how far we’ve come.” It’s also benefitted Calipari, who has gone from looking past his prime to proving he’s got plenty left in the tank.
“Like I said prior to the game, how about we give ourselves a chance to make some magic?” Calipari said postgame. “Let’s just go fight like heck, play free and loose, whatever it happens, happens. But let’s go see if we can create magic.”
Magic was made. The Razorbacks are moving on, and they lead the winners and losers from Saturday’s second round slate.
Winners
Purdue’s March success
Give credit where credit is due. Purdue is shedding away the March choke artist label with another Sweet 16 appearance following a convincing win over McNeese State. The Boilermakers played with a sense of urgency against the No. 12 seed, seizing control early in the game and never letting McNeese sniff the chance of an upset. Trey Kaufman-Renn continued his magnificent play with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Purdue has come a long way from the loss to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023. It rebounded with the national championship appearance last year, and even though Zach Edey is gone the Boilermakers are back in the Sweet 16 for the sixth time in eight seasons. Matt Painter has cemented himself among the best coaches in the sport, and it’s almost becoming a lock for Purdue to be in the second weekend.
Amir Khan’s aura
His team may be out of the tournament, but it’s hard to argue anyone had a better weekend than McNeese manager Amir Khan. He’s become such a viral sensation that most of the country knew him more than any actual McNeese player. Saturday was another big day as he led his team into the arena and was spotted wearing a warm-up outfit that read “aura.”
Khan has reportedly secured several NIL deals, the first for a team manager, and his stardom has become so big, he’s expected to follow Will Wade to NC State. It’s not going to be the last time we hear about Khan, and kudos to him for taking advantage of his one shining moment.
Texas Tech switching offensive game plan
In the first round, Texas Tech shot an NCAA Tournament record 46 3-pointers en route to a 10-point victory over UNC Wilmington. The shoot-at-will method could have been attempted against Drake’s tough defense, but the Red Raiders were smart. They knew they had a size advantage, and used every bit of it to beat the upset-minded Bulldogs.
Texas Tech was constantly getting near the bucket and Drake had no answer. The No. 3 seed scored 50 of its 77 points Saturday in the post, with the bigs doing most of the damage. Big 12 player of the year JT Toppin had 25 points and forward Darrion Williams had a game-high 28 points.
The Red Raiders were a bad 2-for-14 from 3-point land, but Grant McCasland couldn’t care less when his front court feasted. He knew used the size advantage in the game plan and it resulted in a trip to the Sweet 16 and showcasing they can win games in multiple ways.
Losers
St. John’s shooting woes finally bite back
The struggles St. John’s had shooting the ball were often ignored since its defense and physicality were the main reasons the Red Storm had their best season in decades. But on Saturday, when the lights shined the brightest, the offensive ineffectiveness wound up being its downfall. St. John’s shot an abysmal 28% from the field and a horrid 2-for-22 from 3-point land in the loss to Arkansas.
To add insult to injury, Big East player of the year RJ Luis Jr. was 3-for-17 and didn’t even play in the final five minutes. His teammates didn’t do any better with a 2-for-10 finish in those last five minutes as Arkansas put the game out of reach.
If St. John’s was going to continue its magical season, the offense was going to have to improve. A team that ranks 256th in effective field goal percentage wasn’t going to do it, and it showed in the second round.
Texas A&M chokes away lead
With 13 minutes to go, Texas A&M looked like it was going to run away from Michigan. It extended the lead to 10 points and Wade Taylor IV was starting to cook.
Instead, Michigan went into another gear and the Aggies froze. The Wolverines ended the game on a dominant 41-19 run, fueled by Roddy Gayle’s performance, to get in the Sweet 16. Pharrel Payne did all he could for the Aggies with 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting, but his teammates went 17-for-58 (29.3%). Outside of Payne, Texas A&M only made two more field goals in those final 13 minutes. The Aggies were so close to their first Sweet 16 under Buzz Williams, but their season ends in the first weekend for the third consecutive season.
