Arkansas versus St. John’s has been a heated matchup from the start! Even though John Calipari’s Hogs took off to the races to begin with building an early lead at Amica Mutual Pavilion, the Red Storm has slowly caught up to their offense. It has been an explosive encounter filled with offensive brilliance, and a lot of high energy defence. And when we say a lot, we mean it! Not only have the two teams been giving it their all on defence, but the fouls have started to rack up too.

At the end of the first half, the Arkansas Razorbacks have 11 personal fouls, while St. John’s has 8. But it seems like John Calipari’s team is taking it a little too far with their defensive enthusiasm. Ivisic is leading the pack with 3 fouls early on in the game, while Aidoo, Fland and Brazile are all in foul trouble as well. Naturally, there was some push back from Rick Pitino and his Red Storm.

Pushback might be an understatement, as we got some off-court drama early on in the game! Pitino entered into a heated argument with Calipari. According to users on social media, the Red Storm head coach yelled at Coach Cal. “That’s bullsh-t John! Control your guys!” And had to be ushered away by the refs. Their rivalry, spanning 24 college matchups with Calipari leading 14-10 after this game, added fuel to the fire, recalling iconic clashes like the 1996 Final Four when Pitino’s Kentucky beat Calipari’s UMass.

Assistant coaches, officials, and referees got involved in the high-voltage interaction. Frankly, excessive fouling always gets on the nerves of the other team. Calipari’s boys are playing roughshod, and we don’t know which team’s advantage that will play towards. The Razorbacks are currently well-situated to upset St. John’s, leading by 3 points at the half. However, how did social media react to the altercation between the two coaches? Let’s find out.

Fans criticize John Calipari after second-round altercation

Social media went crazy after the Arkansas and St. John’s head coaches nearly came to blows. It was a ferocious interaction, with officials and assistants needing to get involved, and the atmosphere got heated! Pitino was sent back to the bench, while Calipari kept on chirping.

However, according to some users on X, John Calipari can’t back up his talk! “Calipari all bark no bite.” One of the fans said, criticizing the Arkansas head coach for initiating a fight. People weren’t holding anything back against Calipari, as the onslaught of criticism continued. “It’s like watching a man coach against a boy!” Another fan said on X.

Calipari’s history of sideline antics at Kentucky, where he won the 2012 title but faltered lately, fed this narrative, though this upset marked his first Sweet 16 since 2019.

It wasn’t just about John Calipari, however, as some criticized both the head coaches together. A user on X pulled no punches against the national coaches. “2 douchebags on display.” Some fans are agitated at the unsportsmanlike behaviour, while some fans are enjoying the scuffle! “Let’s gooooo spice it up John!” Another fan posted, enjoying the altercation thoroughly.

The fight wasn’t a laughing matter though! The tensions got so high that we thought it was about to get physical. Apparently, some fans felt the same way! “Someone’s gonna through [sic] a punch!” A user on X said. To be fair to both the coaches, a second-round matchup is always going to be intense.

Arkansas stands on the cusp of an incredible upset, and a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. All the fouls and drama aside, if they’re able to capitalize on the opportunity that they have been granted, we could very well see the Razorbacks make a deep playoff run this year! It isn’t looking too great for Pitino and his crew, but March Madness is always unpredictable beyond belief. Who will win? We can’t say for sure. Stay tuned for all the Hogs vs Red Storm action, as we can’t wait to see how the game progresses!