"So THRILLED for you" "Cry me a river": College hoops fans react as John Calipari's wife sheds happy tears after Arkansas advances to Sweet 16

John Calipari's wife Ellen Calipari could not contain her emotions after watching Arkansas men's basketball pull off an upset over Rick Pitino's St. John's on Saturday. The 10th-seeded Razorbacks defeated the second-seeded Red Storm 75-66 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Following the game, snaps of Calipari's wife in tears were posted by SEC Network on Instagram.

"All the emotions from Ellen Calipari as her husband John Calipari and Arkansas advance to the Sweet 16," the post read.

Fans took to the comment section to share their reactions, with some expressing happiness for the former Kentucky head coach's wife.

"Y’all don’t understand. Aunt Ellen, so THRILLED for you. Congratulations," a fan wrote.

"That’s my girl 🥰🫶🏻 @cal_mrs," another fan wrote.

"She is a class act- congrats from KY!!🥳," a fan commented.

Fans' react to post about Ellen Calipari on IG. Image via @secnetwork

However, other fans did not care for Calipari's tears of joy and did not hesitate to make it known in the comments.

"Cry me a river," a fan wrote.

"Acting like they won the whole tournament," another fan wrote.

"We do not care —————————>," a fan commented.

Fans' react to post about Ellen Calipari on IG. Image via @secnetwork

John Calipari reveals what he told Arkansas before upset win vs St. John's in NCAA Tournament

After an erratic 2024-25 regular season that began 0-5 and a postseason SEC Tournament, John Calipari's Arkansas finally demonstrated their potential with an upset win over Rick Pitino's high-flying St. John's on Saturday.

Following the win, Calipari revealed what he told his team before they stepped on the court.

"I said prior to the game, 'How about we give ourselves a chance to make some magic? Let's go fight like heck, play free and loose, [and] whatever happens, happens,'" he said per ESPN.

Freshman forward Billy Richmond III led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Karter Knox added 15 points (9-of-11 from the free throw line) and Johnell Davis had 13.

Calipari became the second coach to take four schools to the Sweet 16, joining Lon Kruger who coached Florida, Kansas State, Oklahoma and UNLV. Calipari led UMass, Memphis and Kentucky to the Sweet 16 in previous editions of the NCAA Tournament.

Saturday's win marks Calipari's first time to reach the Sweet 16 since Kentucky in 2019. Arkansas will next play No. 3 seed Texas Tech, who defeated No. 11 Drake. The matchup will take place in San Francisco on Thursday.