John Calipari's Arkansas recover from "a dark place" to pull off major upset on Bill Self's Kansas, says Razorbacks HC

John Calipari's Arkansas pulled off a major upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday. The No. 10 Razorbacks eliminated No. 7 Kansas from March Madness after a 79-72 win at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.

Calipari, who has summarised his first season with the program as "rewarding," highlighted his team's perseverance after the game in a court-side interview.

"Each of them, in their own way, were in a dark place," he said. "The battle they had was with themselves; they had to get through that first. Then they had to figure out they needed each other.

"Now, they're one heartbeat. Guys are doing what they have to do, don't care who plays. I played Boogie a lot of minutes for a kid that hadn't done practice and nothing. But we needed to win the game."

Defeating Bill Self's Kansas in the win-or-go-home setting might be the biggest achievement for John Calipari's first-year roster. It is also a landscape-shifting alteration for the CBB world.

Behind returning super-senior Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks were ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll, suggesting that it will contend for the NCAA trophy. Arkansas restricted Dickinson to 11 points and nine rebounds behind the second-worst shooting stretch of the season, 4 of 13 shooting.

Jonas Aidoo led the Razorbacks with 22 points and five rebounds on 10 of 19 efficiency. As three other starters scored in double digits, Boogie Fland took on major defensive responsibilities while logging 24 minutes.

He also ignited UA's last scoring runs with a steal and a fastbreak lay. The freshman was returning from a 15-game absence behind a thumb injury.

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What's next for John Calipari and Arkansas?

John Calipari's Arkansas will now face the No. 2 seeded St. John's in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Red Storm are coming off defeating Omaha 83-53.

Both teams are in for a tough second-round contest as the matchup rekindles an old rivalry between the coaches. Rick Pitino and Calipari have met 22 times across the regular season and March Madness. Currently, Cal leads the head-to-head with a 13-9 record.

John Calipari and Pitino also faced each other in the NBA, where they hold an even 3-3 record.