In a coaching rematch from the 1996 Final Four, John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks upset Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm on Saturday, clinching a Sweet 16 berth with a 75-66 win.
The game was a slugfest befitting two of the sport’s most storied — and most colorful — coaches, and the Razorbacks ultimately held on in the second half after a physical, often ugly battle. Neither team shot well, combining to hit only 4 of 41 3-pointers, shooting a combined 34.8% from the field overall.
After a back-and-forth first half, Arkansas went on a 7-0 run to end the first period, taking a 35-32 lead into the break. In the final 20 minutes, the Razorbacks initially raced out to a 13-point advantage, leading 55-42 with a little over 11 minutes remaining.
The Red Storm clawed their way back, however, putting together an 18-7 run to close the gap to 62-60 with roughly six minutes to go. Employing Pitino’s signature full-court press, St. John’s was able to muck up the game to set up a close finish.
Ultimately, Arkansas made more plays down the stretch, finishing the game on a 13-6 run of their own to close it out.
The Red Storm were unable to overcome a poor performance by guard R.J. Luis Jr, who entered Saturday averaging 18.5 points per game. Against the Razorbacks, Luis Jr. scored only nine points on 3-of-17 shooting.
Arkansas was led by freshman guard Billy Richmond III, who came off the bench to score 16 points.
Calipari, in his first season leading the Razorbacks after 15 years at Kentucky, advanced past the second round for the first time since 2019. He now has an opportunity to do what only Pitino has done in men’s NCAA basketball history: win a national championship with two different schools.
Pitino, on the other hand, was denied the chance to lead a record fourth school to the Final Four.
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