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Arkansas' win over St. John's is exactly why it hired John Calipari
A year ago at this time, Arkansas' basketball program was in an interesting position, to say the least.
After going to three consecutive Sweet 16s, Eric Musselman's fifth season in Fayetteville bore a 16-17 record and Arkansas' only omission from the NCAA Tournament in a full season under Musselman.
When Musselman, a native son of the West Coast, left Arkansas to become the head coach at USC back in April, athletic director Hunter Yurachek was put in a difficult position. Under Musselman, Arkansas basketball had gotten back into the national spotlight and was achieving success not seen since the 1990s.
Then-Kentucky head coach John Calipari was not on anyone's coaching radar. At the time, Calipari's future with Kentucky was on the rocks following a Round of 64 loss to Oakland and a well-documented conversation between Calipari and Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart.
On April 10, Calipari was officially announced as the next coach at Arkansas, opening a new era of Razorback basketball.
The college basketball world took notice of Calipari's early struggles at the U of A. Arkansas opened SEC play with five consecutive losses and a highly detrimental injury to freshman guard Boogie Fland. It seemed as if Calipari's first season in Fayetteville was over before it started.
Then, Calipari pulled a rabbit out of his hat.
Arkansas closed out the regular season with an 8-5 stretch before beating South Carolina in the SEC Tournament to solidify a spot in the Big Dance.
After beating seventh-seeded Kansas 79-72, the 10th-seeded Razorbacks were primed for a matchup that could be one of the best of the entire tournament — Calipari and his wild band of Razorback hogs against Rick Pitino and second-seeded St John's.
Besides being a matchup of two red-hot teams, it was a matchup of two legendary coaches who have more than earned their flowers over the course of their careers.
On Saturday, Calipari coached Arkansas to a 75-6 6 win over Pitino and St. John's, earning his biggest win yet as the head Hog.
The win should give Arkansas fans a realization — games like Saturday's bout with St. John's are exactly what Arkansas hired Calipari for.
Regardless of Calipari's recent tournament struggles, his knack for postseason coaching can't be denied. The high expectations placed on his doorstep when he arrived in northwest Arkansas were a product of his coaching acumen and Arkansas' rich basketball tradition.
In its last four NCAA Tournament appearances, Arkansas has made four trips to the Sweet 16. Calipari gives Arkansas a chance to make a deep run on a yearly basis, and Saturday's game is only the first example in what Arkansas fans hope will be a long line of postseason success.
More must-reads:
- Arkansas HC John Calipari adds to legend with Sweet 16 run
- John Calipari's wife was emotional during upset win
- The 'Coaches with the most Final Four appearances' quiz
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Elite Maryland recruit Darius Adams sidelined after recent surgery
The Maryland Terrapins basketball team has some tough news today that could affect the start of their season. Jeff Ermann of Inside Maryland Sports reported that a team source told him freshman guard Darius Adams had undergone hand surgery earlier this summer. This surgery will have him miss next month, which could cause him to miss the start of the season if he is not entirely ready, depending on the extent of the surgery. Adams was labeled a five-star prospect and top-25 recruit when signing with the Terps in May. The 6'5 "guard was expected to be a top scoring option for the Terps, someone who could provide shooting outside the arc and in the midrange. He could find ways to score with the ball in his hand or off the ball while also being a good playmaker. Terps fans may have to wait for their first look at the youngster. In the meantime, his backcourt mate, Myles Rice, a newly transferred player, will take on more responsibility in guiding the offense and backcourt, something head coach Buzz Williams and company were already relying on him for before the injury. Due to the injury, some players will get more looks in practice, scrimmages, and other activities, and will have a chance to join Rice until Adams returns. I like the chances of seeing Guillermo Del Pino despite the fact that he's coming from overseas. He brings a ton of on-court experience in professional leagues and FIBA play. Another name to look out for is guard David Colt. Colt is a player who went from leading the NJCAA Division III in scoring with 30.6 points per game to grabbing 5.2 rebounds and assists per game in 2021-2022. He would join Northern Illinois, where he excelled in his first two seasons of NCAA Division I play, continuing to display his scoring ability before transferring last season to Kansas, where he only averaged 15.6 minutes per game. Isaiah Watts is definitely someone who should see some time on the court, especially given his past experience playing with Rice back at Washington State. He knows his game and how he operates in the backcourt. Andre Mills comes from Texas A M with coach Williams, who redshirted his freshman year. Mills could get an opportunity, or even Rakease Passmore, the transfer from Kansas. Passmore is a 6'5 "guard who provides some size like Adams in the backcourt and can be used offensively inside the paint and defensively around the perimeter. Wishing Adams a speedy recovery in the meantime.
CFB Week 0 winners, losers: Fourth-down decisions loom large in ranked Big 12 showdown
The 2025 college football regular season kicked off on Saturday, headlined by a ranked Big 12 matchup across the pond in Ireland. With Week 0 in the books, here are our winners and losers from the first weekend of the college football season. Winner: Going for it on fourth down with a chance to win the game Arguably, two fourth-down decisions were the most consequential in Associated Press No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones' 24-21 win over Big 12 rival No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats. Let's start with the good. With 2:26 remaining in the fourth and facing a fourth-and-3 from Kansas State's 16-yard line, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell elected to keep his offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal and taking a six-point lead. The decision was correct on multiple fronts. By settling for a field-goal attempt, Campbell would have given Kansas State, which had no timeouts, over two minutes to score a possible winning touchdown. The risk of failing to convert was offset by allowing Kansas State the ability to extend the game with a field goal as opposed to needing a touchdown to win. And again, if the Wildcats got in the end zone, would it really have mattered if Iowa State lost by one instead of four points? The Cyclones didn't have to worry about that. Instead, quarterback Rocco Becht found running back Carson Hansen, who picked up the first down, allowing Iowa State to run out the clock. Loser: Going for it on fourth from your own 30-yard line in a three-point game Conversely, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman's fourth-down call from his own 30-yard line with 8:19 remaining was much less excusable. While his defense had just allowed two long scoring drives, putting them on the field with only 30 yards to defend was setting the unit up to fail. As much of a rhythm as Iowa State's offense may have found, it also had three three-and-outs and two fumbles to that point, so we're not exactly talking about 2019 LSU here. Rather than forcing the Cyclones to drive the field, Klieman handed them a golden scoring opportunity. Winner: Kansas State defensive end Tobi Osunsanmi It wasn't all bad for the Wildcats. Osunsanmi, a junior edge-rusher, established himself as a name to watch in the Big 12 with two first-quarter sacks. The class of 2022 recruit had 3.5 sacks all of last season and could eclipse that early in 2025. Loser: Dan Mullen trading the studio for the sideline The former Mississippi State and Florida head coach returned to the sideline on Saturday for his first game leading the UNLV Rebels. While he notched a win against FCS Idaho State, it didn't come easily. UNLV trailed, 31-24, in the fourth, before scoring 14 unanswered points in a 38-31 win. For someone who most recently spent his Saturdays in the fall watching games as an ESPN analyst, his new job is already exceptionally more pressure-inducing. Just wait until the Rebels play FBS competition. Winner: Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels This is the Daniels that was promised. After breaking through in 2022 when Kansas snapped a 13-year bowl drought, Daniels was limited to three games in 2023 due to injury. Last season, he was healthy for the Jayhawks' disappointing 5-7 campaign and threw a Big 12-high 12 interceptions. He was outstanding in a 31-7 win over Fresno State, going 18-of-20 for 176 yards and three touchdowns while adding 47 yards rushing. If this is the Daniels that Kansas gets all season, it could make serious noise. Loser: Refs' judging of Clay Patterson's dance moves Stanford defensive lineman Clay Patterson celebrated a 12-yard sack late in the first half against Hawai'i by breaking out a TikTok dance, which officials apparently weren't fond of, hitting him with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, resulting in an automatic first down. It's another reminder that no one despises fun more than college football referees. But until they discover a sense of humor, it would be best for Patterson to save his moves for TikTok.
Phillies get terrible injury news on ace starting pitcher
The Philadelphia Phillies received the update they did not want to hear on Saturday. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is going to miss the remainder of the 2025 season due to thoracic outlet syndrome, the team announced. He will have surgery to correct the issue with a recovery time of six to eight months. There is no way to sugarcoat this for the Phillies — this is brutal news and a potentially crushing blow to their World Series chances in the National League. While they still have a strong rotation and two excellent front-line starters in Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez, Wheeler is their unquestioned ace and has been one of the best overall pitchers in the National League since he joined the Phillies prior to the 2020 season. The Phillies are still pretty much a playoff lock at this point and entered the weekend with a six-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But taking a front-line starter away from them this late in the season is going to be impossible to replace. With Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez, they would have had a fierce trio to throw at teams in a short series (or a best-of-seven series) that could have stacked up with anybody. Sanchez and Suarez are still going to give them a great chance, but it's definitely not what they wanted. Prior to Saturday's announcement, Wheeler had a 2.71 ERA and was leading the league in both strikeouts (195) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.7) pitched. He also has the lowest WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) in the league (.935).
Two-time Stanley Cup champion leaves NHL for Switzerland
Last season was a tough one for veteran defenseman Jan Rutta. He dealt with some lower-body injuries, and when he was in the lineup for San Jose, he was often on the third pairing. That has certainly contributed to his going unsigned through the first seven weeks of free agency, but that is coming to an end. Earlier this week, Blick’s Gregory Beaud (h/t The Hockey News) reported that the blueliner is signing with Geneve-Servette in Switzerland. Rutta played in 54 games for the Sharks last season, picking up just three goals and six assists in a little over 17 minutes a night. However, he took a regular turn on their penalty kill and played some tough defensive minutes. Speculatively, NHL teams could be eyeing him as a PTO candidate to fill a sixth or seventh role if things went well in training camp but clearly, a full contract offer has yet to materialize and at some point, a guaranteed deal overseas could be viewed as a better option than trying to earn a contract off a tryout. Rutta debuted fairly late in the NHL with his first season coming at the age of 27 with Chicago. Since then, he has suited up in 417 regular-season games between four different clubs, putting up 23 goals and 75 assists along with 479 blocked shots. He also has a pair of Stanley Cup rings from his time with Tampa Bay. Rutta will be the third veteran NHL player to join that team this offseason. Previously, it signed wingers Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vesey and has one import slot remaining that it appears they want to use to bring in a veteran defender.
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