Recapping everything John Calipari said after pulling off major upset on Rick Pitino's St John's at March Madness

Arkansas coach John Calipari is a win away from the Elite Eight as his No. 10 seed Razorbacks squad took down No. 2 seed St. John's in a testy, foul-filled NCAA Tournament battle.

In the second-round matchup on Saturday, Arkansas rallied late to knock off Rick Pitino's team 75-66.

"Was it an ugly game? Or was it a game that was exciting?" Calipari said to reporters in the postgame press conference (at 8:55).

"Like an ugly exciting game. You know, I don't care. It could be an ugly-ugly game, and I'm happy we're moving on."

The matchup featured 44 total fouls and 58 combined free throws. Calipari acknowledged that both teams play physical basketball, which contributed to the constant whistles.

St. John's had 28 offensive rebounds in the loss, among the highest totals Calipari's teams have surrendered in recent memory.

"I don't know if any team that I've coached in a while had 28 offensive rebounds …and we still won, which is crazy," he added (0:39)

Freshman forward Billy Richmond III had a great game for Arkansas, scoring 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds off the bench.

John Calipari couldn't contain his praise for the young player's impact, interrupting Richmond while he was speaking to offer kudos.

"How good is he?" Calipari said (at 3:28). "I mean, how about the short shot he made in that corner that stemmed a tide? How about the free throws that he makes? How about the rebounding? I know you're talking to them, but I had to say that."

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John Calipari credits his freshman players for their fearlessness and desire to prove themselves

John Calipari's Arkansas is a young team. He recruited six freshmen last offseason, and they are now stepping up in big games.

Against St. John's on Saturday, his trio of newcomers — Karter Knox, Billy Richmond III and Boogie Fland — combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds.

"Well, they're not afraid, and they want to prove themselves," Calipari said postgame (7:19). "Billy just has a different mindset, like, 'If I turn it over, so what?' He goes on to the next play. Karter and Boogie are still freshmen. They miss two, they end up missing five, you know what I'm saying?

"They're fun to coach ... I told them many times, 'You're never going to disappoint me, just go play, we'll figure stuff out.'"

John Calipari arrived in Fayetteville last April after over a decade at Kentucky. Arkansas had a tough time winning consistently in conference play this season, struggling to an 8-10 SEC record and losing in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

The Razorbacks received a 10-seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament and upset No. 7 seed Kansas in the opening round before defeating St. John's. They next face No. 3 Texas Tech on Thursday.