John Calipari referenced his early coaching days Wednesday, saying he is "back to my roots of being the underdog" ahead of Arkansas' NCAA tournament game vs. Kansas.

The No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks are preparing for a huge showdown against the No. 7 Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament this Thursday. But John Calipari has something to celebrate before Arkansas’ date with Bill Self’s Jayhawks,

PROVIDENCE — John Calipari has been in the NCAA Tournament enough times to know the selection committee often has either a sense of humor or a flair for creating games with subplots. So the first-year Arkansas coach assumed, given his somewhat acrimonious exit from Kentucky, that the Razorbacks would be headed there.