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The top title contender was eliminated from the March Madness in the second round on Saturday. No. 10 ranked Arkansas defeated No.2 St. John's 75-66 in Providence, R.I., to reach the Sweet 16 of the ongoing NCAA tournament. It also marked the end of Rick Pitino and the Red Storm, who were ranked No. 5 in the season ending Associated Press poll.
Arkansas dumps St. John's out of NCAA tournament
Billy Richmond was the star of the night as far as the Razorbacks are concerned as he registered 16 points and nine rebounds. This was Razorbacks second consecutive upset in the 2025 NCAA tournament. Prior to defeating St. John's, the Arkansas defeated No. 7 ranked Kansas (22-13) in the first round on Thursday.
Karter Knox and Johnell Davis also played their part in Arkansas' victory as Knox scored 15 points while Davis finished the match with 13. They Arkansas Razorbacks will now take on Texas Tech-Drake winner in a Sweet 16 game next Thursday in San Francisco.
The Razorbacks will be featuring in their fourth Sweet 16 match in the last five years. However, it will be their first under Calipari, who took over the charge after being with Kentucky for 15 long years.
The game saw two Hall-of-Fame coaches and longtime friends go head to head in the NCAA tournament. Pitino's Kentucky got the better of Calipari's UMass team in the 1996 Final Four and even went on to clinch the national championship.
Zuby Ejiofor had a double-double with 23 points to his name alongside 12 rebounds for the St. John's, who end their season at 31-5. The Red Storm shot 28% from the field and had made only two of 22 three-point attempts.
R.J. Luis had a below par game for the St. John's as he registered only nine points on 3-for-17 shooting. Luis, who is a second-team All-American and Big East Player of the Year, spent the last two minutes of the match on the bench despite the Razorbacks leading by just two scored until the dying seconds of the match.
