"This is so cringe man": College hoops fans react after John Calipari's Arkansas trolls Kansas post 85-69 exhibition game victory

John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks made a strong statement as they beat preseason favorite, the Kansas Jayhawks in an exhibition game at the Bud Walton Arena on Friday. Following their convincing 85-69 win, they set social media alight by taking a subtle dig at the top team in AP's Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

The Razorbacks uploaded a graphic of the scoreline on X, captioning the post, "Once again pleased to inform you, it’s Kansaw now." Their post drew various reactions from college basketball fans, with some of them believing the 16th-ranked team in the AP's Top 25 may be getting ahead of themselves.

"This is so cringe man," said one fan.

"Let’s chill… we beat Purdue last year and that didn’t mean sh*t," added another fan.

Another fan said, "Yeah without two of Kansas best players. Congrats to you."

Other fans believed the Razorbacks' display would hurt Kentucky fans the most, as their former coach made a solid impression in their win over the Jayhawks.

"I think more Kentucky fans watched the game than Arkansas fans," said one fan.

"Kentucky fans in shambles," said another.

Another fan added, "Kentucky fans incoming in 3..2…oh sh*t their obsessed a**es already here."

Ex-Kentucky star thrives under John Calipari at Arkansas

After 15 seasons during which he led the Kentucky Wildcats to the 2012 national championship, John Calipari joined to the Razorbacks for the 2024-25 season. His decision prompted a few players from the Wildcats roster to follow him to Arkansas, including DJ Wagner, Adou Thierro and Zvonimir Ivisic.

Wagner was a standout in the Razorbacks' win over the Jayhawks, shooting 8 of 12 from the field and two of four from 3-point range to score 24 points. Freshman Boogie Fland, who flipped his commitment to the Wildcats to join Calipari at Arkansas, also starred with 22 points and five assists.

Kentucky Wildcats top stars from last year followed John Calipari to Arkansas (image credit: Imagn)

Ivisic also made his mark in yesterday's exhibition game, shooting a perfect six of six from the free-throw line, five of 10 from the field and two of five from 3-point range to finish with 18 points.

While the Razorbacks are 16th in the AP's Top 25, their win over the Jayhawks suggests they could return to the postseason after missing out last season. They will travel to Fort Worth to play their final exhibition game against the TCU Horned Frogs on November 1, before starting the 2024-25 season with a home game against the Lipscomb Bisons on November 6.