The battle for the Elite Eight was on, and Arkansas was right in the thick of it. This 10-seed, a Cinderella story that nobody saw coming, defied the odds, making it past the first weekend of March Madness. And they were on the verge of something even BIGGER. If they pulled this off, it would be pure magic and the dream-start to Coach John Calipari’s Arkansas era. The Razorbacks had it. They almost HAD it. Leading with just over three minutes left—just a few stops away from punching that Elite Eight ticket. But, well… March had other plans.

Against Texas Tech, Arkansas was holding a 72-66 lead with just a few minutes left in the second half. Johnell Davis was hooping, dropping a game-high 30 points on 8-of-20 shooting. Meanwhile, Texas Tech was ice cold. They were 5-of-29 from three, and it was killing them.

Then, just when fans were trying to breathe, John Nabors from Inside Arkansas dropped this on X, “Apparently the broadcast said Calipari is 35-0 when leading by 6+ points in the NCAA Tourney? What a stat. What could go wrong?” Oh, COME ON. Fans weren’t trying to hear that. Not now. Not with everything on the line. The last thing they need is a jinx when they’re this close. You could feel the nervous energy through the screen, nobody wants to speak too soon.

And guess what? It HAPPENED! Texas Tech wasn’t done. Christian Anderson drilled a three. Darrion Williams hit a spinning layup. And suddenly, it was a two-point game. Arkansas just couldn’t put them away. The shots that were falling all night, just couldn’t in those final seconds. 

With 1:28 left, Karter Knox finally hit a clutch corner three. A sigh of relief, right? No! Anderson answered with a three of his own. Then Darrion Williams buried the game-tying shot with 10 seconds left.

Overtime!!!

And if Razorbacks fans weren’t already sweating, things only got worse. A basket interference call put Texas Tech up 74-72—their first lead since forever ago. Trevon Brazile fought back with a clutch layup, but JT Toppin bullied his way inside for Tech’s biggest lead of the night.

Then, with 7 seconds left, Darrion Williams called GAME. Arkansas had one last shot—D.J. Wagner at the buzzer—but the ball bounced off the rim. 83-85. Season. Over.

So close. SO. CLOSE. The jinx is real, people.

But honestly, if we look at it, Calipari’s first run with Arkansas is still pretty good. 

John Calipari’s wild first year at Arkansas: From rock bottom to the Sweet 16

Who would’ve thought? The biggest offseason shake-up wasn’t just a few transfers here and there. Nope, it was John Calipari packing his bags, leaving Kentucky, and heading to Arkansas. And it changed everything. At Kentucky, Cal hadn’t made it past the first weekend of March Madness since 2018. Razorbacks fans were curious, could he actually turn things around? Turns out, he did.

But let’s not sugarcoat it, it was not all smooth. He started by bringing over some of his guys from Kentucky—Adou Thiero, D.J. Wagner, and Zvonimir Ivišić. Then, the big recruiting flips: Karter Knox, Boogie Fland, and Billy Richmond all said “nah” to Kentucky and followed him to Fayetteville. 

That gave him seven rotation players. Then came three transfer portal gems—Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee), Johnell Davis (FAU), and Trevon Brazile (who nearly left but stayed).  The season started off strong with 11-2.

But, SEC play was a tough, long stretch. The Razorbacks lost five straight. People were already questioning if Calipari was washed. Then came the turning point, an 89-79 win over Kentucky. From there, Arkansas started clicking, going 6-4 in their last 10 games. A strong SEC tourney showing locked in a No. 10 seed.

Then, March happened.  

Arkansas had a brutal draw—No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 St. John’s—but they pulled off the impossible. The transfers led the charge against Kansas, but against St. John’s, freshmen took over. Through injuries, inconsistency, and a mid-season crisis, the Razorbacks found a way.

And for Calipari, this season meant everything. “This season has been the most rewarding season [for me],” the head coach said. “I’ve had seasons where we won more games and won national titles, Final Fours and Elite Eights. I’ve had all those, but what this team has been through to survive it, has been as rewarding as any season.”

Now, this season is over…so can Razorbacks men and John Calipari come back stronger next year? We’ll have to see!