Arkansas HC John Calipari shares pics of daughter recreating adorable childhood moment during Kansas thriller

Arkansas coach John Calipari posted a hilarious side-by-side photo of his family on social media on Friday. Calipari shared two photos of his wife, Ellen Calipari, and their daughter, Megan Calipari, on X.

The first snap showed Megan sleeping beside her mother during a Kentucky game in the 1996 NCAA Tournament, while the second was an inadvertent recreation of the first and was taken during the Arkansas vs. Kansas game in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

"CBS. 1996 Providence NCAA tourney vs. 2025 Providence NCAA tourney," Calipari captioned the post.

Megan is the first child of Calipari and his wife. She has two siblings: Erin Calipari and Bradley Vincent Calipari. Megan is a big fan of her father's team, often showing up to watch his games. She is also a professionally trained pastry chef, recipe developer, outdoor enthusiast and animal lover.

John Calipari's daughter steals the spotlight as Arkansas defeats Kansas in NCAA Tournament first round

John Calipari's daughter, Megan Calipari, could hardly watch as Arkansas battled against Kansas to emerge with a 79-72 win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

The 10th-seeded Razorbacks held on to upset the No. 7 seed Jayhawks at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island. During the closing moments, CBS captured Calipari's daughter hunched over in her seat while her mom, Ellen, patted her back, which went viral on social media.

"Every one of us, including me, had doubts, and we all had to convince ourselves we're going to do this," Calipari said after the win. "I had a card I read every morning and every night before I went to bed, and it was I've been blessed throughout my life. Forget basketball. I have been blessed."

Under John Calipari, Arkansas has endured an underwhelming season, going 21-13 overall and ninth in the SEC with 8-10 this season. However, Thursday's upset wins prove that the Razorbacks cannot be ruled out just yet, as they prepare to face Rick Pitino's second-seeded St. John's on Saturday.

The game against Kansas was Arkansas' first NCAA Tournament win since reaching the Sweet 16 in 2023 under then-coach Eric Musselman. It also marked Calipari’s 58th NCAA Tournament win, as he leads active coaches in the tournament.