A near 7000 fans were in attendance when the Arkansas Razorbacks announced John Calipari’s introductory press conference. With a depleting squad and a poor start to the season, questions arose if the former Kentucky coach was the right fit. Now the same coach is leading the Hogs to the Sweet 16! That is some odds-defying work from Coach Calipari and his work might please one former star, Joe Johnson.

One of the most famous Arkansas alums, Iso Joe, previously praised the current team’s progress. During the conversation on Fan Duel, Lou Williams asked the 7x All-Star, “How long do you think it takes for coach Cal to put a team together to really compete for a title?” Johnson responded, “Hey, he got some young studs coming in this summer, some elite talent obviously offensively.” But he was not so sure about the team winning a national championship this season immediately.

“So, I’m looking forward to this but we’ve been scrappy, bro, we’ve been scrappy. We’ve been fighting, so you never know. I look forward to those guys going in and uh you know coming out with a victory“, said Joe. Well, Johnson is not wrong about the University of Arkansas’ basketball team’s assessment. He was one of the alums who was present for Coach Calipari’s introductory press conference. The team did struggle in the beginning as the Hogs were 11-7 with a 0-5 start in conference play.

But the 66-year-old coach turned it around in style, despite a tough conference slate with a 9-6 finish to the season. With the No. 10 seed, Arkansas had the potential to go on a run. But with the win over Rick Pitino and St. John’s, the Razorbacks look like they could be getting a chance at a title sooner than Joe Johnson expected.

John Calipari’s win in the second-round victory received praise from his rival

It wasn’t an easy fixture but the Razorbacks responded in an intensely physical, hard-fought 75-66 win. Thus in his first season with the Hogs, Calipari is back in the Sweet 16 for the 16th time. The win also cemented him in other honors; he is just the second coach to take four different teams to the Sweet 16, joining Lon Kruger (Florida, Kansas State, Oklahoma, UNLV).

John Calipari previously took UMass, Memphis, and Kentucky to that stage. In January, the odds were not in the coach’s or the program’s favor, but they powered through. Even Rick Pitino tipped his hat toward his rival coach despite the loss: “They outplayed us. They deserve to move on and we don’t. That’s what March Madness is all about. No matter how good a regular season you have, you play this way, you’re going to get beat.”

Up next for Arkansas is a trip to San Francisco where they play against the number 3 seed Texas Tech. Now the question remains, Will the Hogs make a Final Four appearance? Or will they fall in the next round? Only time will tell.