The last time John Calipari met Bill Self in the NCAA Tournament, he had Anthony Davis leading the charge to a national championship. This time, he had no such luxury—just a scrappy Razorbacks squad and a game plan that turned an expected Kansas victory into a 79-72 upset. Ten lead changes later, Self walked away with a familiar feeling, another tournament loss to Calipari. But this time, the blame wasn’t just on strategy or execution—it fell squarely on one player: Hunter Dickinson.

According to a post on X by the Southeastern Conference, the message was clear: “MOVING ON. @RazorbackMBB knocks off Kansas and hands the Jayhawks their first first-round loss since 2006!”

Kansas, a blue-blood program with 52 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1940, has only reached the Final Four 16 times and won it all just four times. A program built on high expectations, yet often falling short. And once again, history repeated itself in March. The Jayhawks had their chances, but their most hyped star vanished when it mattered most.

Dickinson, despite being a former All-American, has never made a Final Four. His closest opportunity came in 2021 when Michigan fell just short against UCLA in the Elite Eight. This season, he had one last shot to make a deep run.

“I’m super grateful I was able to get back here one more time before the end of my career,” Dickinson told Sports Illustrated on Wednesday while promoting his March Madness partnership with Great Clips. But gratitude didn’t win the game, and when the pressure mounted, Dickinson crumbled.

When Bill Self recruited the 7-foot-2 senior center in 2023, he was supposed to be a perfect fit. Kansas was a winning program and Dickinson was chasing a championship. Self, used to putting bigs in the NBA was looking at a three-time All-Big Ten honoree with career averages of 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. He devised a plan with Ramsey Nijem to make him more explosive. And it worked for a certain part. Dickinson is Jayhawks’ lead scorer and rebounder, averaging a double-double. But the pieces didn’t seem to fit completely.

The center’s defense has raised eyebrows more than a few times. His 2.0 turnover average isn’t doing him favors either. And in the most important game so far in the season, he failed to show up even in the areas he was expected to.

Once a title favorite, now a first-weekend afterthought—the fall is brutal. But for Jayhawks fans, the real sting? Watching their most-hyped player crumble under the spotlight.

Hunter Dickinson flames out as Kansas crashes: Calipari advances, fans erupt over 1st-round exit

One fan bluntly put it: “Hunter Dickinson is trash.” That might be harsh, but he certainly didn’t live up to expectations. In 29 minutes, Dickinson managed just 11 points on an inefficient 4-of-13 (30.7%) shooting, failing to make an impact when Kansas needed him most.

Another fan didn’t hold back either: “Hunter Dickinson is terrible.” His struggles went beyond scoring. Dickinson also shot 1-of-4 from three, committed four personal fouls, and turned the ball over four times. His missed three-pointer in crunch time—when Arkansas’ lead was just 71-69—proved costly as the Razorbacks stretched the lead at the line.

For some, his underwhelming play was emblematic of a bigger issue. “Hunter Dickinson has gotta be the most overrated college basketball player in the last decade. Just an absolute liability on the court. How he made third-team All-American is beyond me.”

To make matters worse, Kansas didn’t help themselves elsewhere. While the Jayhawks shot a respectable 43.1% from the field, they were plagued by turnovers—giving it away 16 times compared to Arkansas’ 10. Despite outrebounding the Razorbacks 38-34, they failed to capitalize in the paint, getting outscored 34-28 inside.

One fan wanted a simple stat check: “Can someone please give me a +/- box score for Hunter Dickinson tonight? He is awful.” The response? “-10, which I believe is the worst on Kansas.” That number reflected his impact—or lack thereof.

The Jayhawks had their chances, but their biggest star faltered. Now, Kansas is heading home while Calipari and Arkansas march forward, potentially toward a showdown with Rick Pitino’s Red Storm.