John Calipari stayed true to his coaching philosophy during the closing moments of Arkansas’ season-ending loss in the NCAA Tournament.
The 10th-seeded Razorbacks (22-14) were eliminated in the Sweet 16 after a hard-fought 85-83 overtime defeat against No. 3 Texas Tech (28-8) on Thursday night. Darrion Williams delivered the decisive basket with a short hook shot in overtime, giving the Red Raiders the lead with seven seconds left.
Instead of calling a timeout, Calipari let Arkansas play through the possession. The Razorbacks’ final opportunity resulted in a contested fadeaway jumper from D.J. Wagner, which bounced off the front of the rim as time expired.
Following the game, Calipari defended his decision, saying he typically avoids calling timeouts in such situations.
“In my career, I’ve always let it play out,” Calipari explained. “With that much time left, you can get to the rim without worrying about a foul. Calling a timeout forces you to set up an inbound play and allows the defense to adjust. I usually trust my guys in those moments. Of course, in hindsight, I wish I had taken the timeout, but I’d make the same decision 99 percent of the time.”
Williams also hit a crucial three-pointer in regulation, tying the game at 72-72 with 9.7 seconds remaining. While Calipari opted not to stop play, Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland used a timeout to organize his defense.
The overtime sequence played out similarly, with Wagner taking another tough shot that didn’t fall, sealing Arkansas’ fate.
As the last double-digit seed left in the tournament, Arkansas appeared poised for an upset after building a commanding 16-point lead in the second half. Even with a 13-point advantage in the final five minutes, the Razorbacks couldn’t hold off Texas Tech’s comeback.
The loss ended Calipari’s first season in Fayetteville just two wins shy of the Final Four. Despite the disappointment, the Hall of Fame coach remained appreciative of his team’s resilience after a challenging start to the season.
“This season was one of the most rewarding of my career—even though I feel awful right now,” Calipari said. “I’ve coached teams that won championships, but this year was special in a different way. We had to adapt, grow, and learn together, and that made it an incredible experience for me as a coach.”
