Stephen A. Smith admits underestimating John Calipari’s team vs Rick Pitino’s St. John’s: “Thought Arkansas would be the smaller team”

Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm had New Yorkers thinking they would go on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big East regular-season title and tournament. Bronx native Stephen A. Smith thought the same as he acknowledged underestimating John Calipari's Arkansas during Monday's episode of ESPN's 'First Take.'

When asked if he was higher on Calipari or lower on Pitino following Arkansas' 75-66 upset win over St. John's on Saturday, Smith gave Calipari his due for leading the Razorbacks to the Sweet 16 in his first year with Arkansas.

"He’s gone to Arkansas and remind everybody that he’s still a hell of a coach," Smith said (Timestamp: 0:27). "He still knows what the hell he’s doing, and he can still inspire and you got to give credit where credit is due."

Stephen A. Smith praised John Calipari and the Razorbacks for how they dominated Rick Pitino and the Red Storm during the second-round clash. Much has been said about the RJ Luis benching and the Red Storm's atrocious 3-point shooting, but it was the Hogs' physical play that impressed Smith the most.

"We got to give Arkansas credit because I thought Arkansas would be the smaller team," Smith said (Timestamp: 1:57). "I thought that St. John’s will be able to play bully ball. I was wrong. When they stepped on the court against St. John’s, they were playing bully ball.

"They looked like the bullies on the block for some of the game. I was very impressed with what I saw from Arkansas, and I got to give John Calipari credit for that."

Billy Richmond III steps up for John Calipari in win over Rick Pitino's St. John's

Three players scored in double figures for the 10th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks in Saturday's 75-66 win over the second-seeded St. John's Red Storm in Providence, Rhode Island.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks to forward Billy Richmond III during the second half of a second-round NCAA Tournament game against Rick Pitino and the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Photo: Imagn

Billy Richmond III delivered for John Calipari off the bench, scoring 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The freshman forward also came close to collecting his first career double-double, grabbing nine rebounds in 29 minutes.

Karter Knox added 15 points for the Razorbacks (22-13), who will next face the third-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-8) in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.