John Calipari and Rick Pitino have crossed paths many instances of their careers.
The 2 legendary coaches each have been in contrast to one another all all through their profession paths, starting from rebuilding packages into championship contenders within the Northeast, to enjoying below the intense lights of Rupp Enviornment with the Kentucky Wildcats.
They’ve met one another almost 30 instances of their illustrious careers, with Calipari holding a 17-12 benefit, together with a Last 4 victory in 2012 over Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals.
However given the circumstances, this one must be up there.
No person gave the Razorbacks an opportunity in opposition to the red-hot Pink Storm. The group had misplaced main scorer Adou Thiero with a knee harm and began out their common season poorly, opening SEC play with an 0-5 file. They suffered devastating shut losses to their ranked counterparts, and even gave last-place South Carolina their second SEC win of the yr in a 19-point romp.
St. John’s, however, entered this sport with the exact opposite trajectory. Pitino’s squad rattled off 30 wins within the common season, tied for essentially the most ever in an everyday season. They’d scoring threats all throughout their lineup, with RJ Luis Jr. being named Large East Participant of the 12 months.
Billed in as 7.5 level underdogs, Calipari’s Razorbacks pulled off the shock of the event, knocking off the St. John’s 75-66, ending the Pink Storm’s dream season.
Freshman Billy Richmond led the Razorbacks with a career-high 16 factors and 9 rebounds whereas coming off the bench. Freshman Karter Knox completed with 15 factors and 4 blocks, and Johnell Davis added 13 factors.
Zuby Ejiofor led the Pink Storm with a double-double, posting 23 factors and 12 rebounds. Deivon Smith added 13 factors off the bench.
Luis, the group’s main scorer, was held to solely 9 factors on a poor 3-17 capturing night time, resulting in him being benched for the final minutes of the sport.
St. John’s capturing woes have been on full show. With the primary criticism being an absence of an environment friendly three-point shooter getting into the event, the Johnnies silenced all critics by draining 14 triples at a 37.8% clip en path to a 30-point blowout of the Omaha Mavericks within the first spherical.
Saturday afternoon couldn’t have been extra completely different.
The Pink Storm shot a dismal 9.1% from past the arc, solely hitting two of their 22 makes an attempt from past the arc. They didn’t fare higher from the ground, making 28% of their photographs from the sphere.
The Razorbacks protection held Kadary Richmond and Luis to a mixed 14 factors on 5-24 capturing. Their relentless burst and drives to the paint racked up Richmond’s foul depend, with the graduate pupil finally fouling out after solely 16 minutes of sport time.
“They have been the higher group. They outplayed us and so they deserve to maneuver on, and we don’t,” Pitino stated.
Arkansas didn’t fare a lot better. The Razorbacks shot 10.5% from past the arc, nailing solely two triples. Nevertheless, they discovered higher effectivity within the discipline, primarily the paint, capturing 42.9%.
The Razorbacks acquired off an environment friendly begin, constructing a lead early and attacking St. John’s within the paint to attract fouls or end layups on the rim.
St. John’s struggled to attain with effectivity regardless of extending possessions with 28 offensive rebounds. The paint presence of Knox and Tennessee switch Jonas Aidoo pressured tough putback appears to be like and created quite a few possessions of Pink Storm gamers firing a number of layups on the rim that by no means fell.
“There are some video games we performed this yr the place the opposite group stated ‘that was a bodily group,’” Calipari stated. “I advised them it jogged my memory of that. I do know St. John’s is bodily, however we’re bodily too.”
Arkansas took a three-point lead into the half after freshman Boogie Fland made a layup with seconds remaining within the opening body. In his return from a thumb harm, Fland completed with six factors and 4 rebounds.
The Razorbacks took that momentum within the second half, constructing a double-digit lead after rattling off a 14-6 run capped off by an Aidoo and-one.
St. John’s performed catchup for the rest of the half, finally chopping the result in 4 with simply over 4 minutes to play.
After Billy Richmond sank a mid-range jumper to carry Arkansas’ lead again to 4 off a flare, Fland stole the ball, resulting in a D.J. Wagner layup to increase the result in six.
St. John’s entered panic mode, firing contested threes that caromed off the rim. Regardless of grabbing two offensive rebounds in a single possession, the Pink Storm failed to realize floor on the lead, as Aaron Scott missed two free throws that may have lower the result in 4.
Scott, Smith and Luis, St. John’s three-leading sharpshooters, mixed to go 1-11 from past the arc. Scott struggled mightly from the sphere, capturing 1-10 and mustering seven factors off one triple and free throws.
Because the group continued to rain missed threes, Knox and Davis made their free throws as soon as St. John’s started deliberately fouling to shut out the sport.
When Billy Richmond was fouled with 4 seconds left, each groups may really feel the consequence. The Arkansas bench and gamers ran to their aspect of the court docket, leaping as they raised their fingers.
Pitino had already made his technique to half court docket to shake fingers along with his nemesis earlier than the ultimate buzzer sounded.
With the win, Calipari superior to his sixteenth Candy 16 and have become the second coach in Division I historical past to take 4 completely different faculties to the Candy 16. Calipari took a UMass group with Marcus Camby to the Last 4, a Derrick Rose-led Memphis squad to the Nationwide Championship and numerous Kentucky groups to deep runs within the event.
He can now add the Razorbacks’ team-effort in his debut season.
“We had a protracted up-and-down season, so we simply all got here collectively, put our egos to the aspect and simply grew to become one heartbeat like (Coach Calipari) stated and simply play a fearless 40 (minutes),” Billy Richmond stated.
Arkansas will now play Texas Tech and JT Toppin within the Candy 16.
