When John Calipari decided to leave his secure role as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats to take over the Arkansas Razorbacks, there was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the move. It was a bold decision—but one that ultimately paid off for the Hall of Fame coach during the 2024-25 college basketball season.
The Razorbacks wrapped up the regular season with a 22-14 record and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. But they didn’t just make an appearance—they made a splash.
In the opening round, Arkansas took down No. 7 seed Kansas with a 79-72 win. They followed that up with a major upset over Rick Pitino’s No. 2-seeded St. John’s squad, winning 75-66 and punching their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.
Their run came to a heartbreaking close in the next round, though, as Arkansas fell to Texas Tech in a tight 85-83 loss to end their season.