"He put the nation on notice": Jay Williams praises John Calipari for reviving Arkansas as a college hoops powerhouse

Arkansas' March Madness run has come to an end, but John Calipari's first season leading the Razorbacks was undoubtedly a success. The veteran head coach guided the Razorbacks to a 22-14 overall record and a Sweet 16 appearance.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams reflected on Calipari's successful season on the network show Get Up on Friday.

"I think he put the nation on notice," Williams said. "That Cal still has his fastball, and that he can recruit McDonald’s All-Americans, he can recruit in the transfer portal. And he can get his team to where they need to be at the end of the season.

"Yes, we live in a microwave where everybody wants to attack him throughout the course. It’s about the full body of work. Cal has brought the Arkansas Razorbacks back to one of the top places in college basketball.”

Calipari is no stranger to leading teams to success. His coaching career dates back to 1988 and included 15 years at Kentucky. During that period, he led the Wildcats to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, four Final Fours, and a 2012 National Championship title.

Arkansas' first season under Calipari wasn't perfect. The team began conference play 1-6 in the SEC and spent the majority of the year as a bubble team. However, the Razorbacks turned things in 2025. From the start of February through the end of the NCAA Tournament run, Calipari's team went 10-6.

The Razorbacks stayed competitive in a dominant SEC and defeated Kentucky, Calipari's former team, 89-79 on Feb. 1. Arkansas entered March Madness as a No. 10 seed and upset No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 St. John's to advance to the Sweet 16. The team's run ended there, but John Calipari turned around an Arkansas team that finished below .500 last season.

The end of John Calipari's Arkansas team's March Madness run

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament West Regional-Arkansas at Texas Tech - Source: Imagn

Calipari's team looked capable against No. 3 seed Texas Tech in Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup. With 4:20 left in regulation, the Razorbacks led by 13 points. The issues that plagued Arkansas in the up-and-down season showed up in those final few minutes, and the Red Raiders forced overtime.

The Razorbacks fell by two points in overtime, despite leading for 38 minutes and 40 seconds of the game. John Calipari had never lost in the 35 games when his team led by at least six points at halftime.