MBB NCAA Tourney Preview: Arkansas vs Kansas

March 19, 2025

Who: #10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) vs #7 seed Kansas (21-12)
What: Two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches meet in the NCAA first round.
When: Thursday – Mar. 20 – 7:10 pm (ET)/6:10 pm (CT)
Where: Providence, R.I. – Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,648)
How (to follow):
– TV/Stream: CBS / Watch CBS APP (Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn)
– NCAA Game Center: Video and Live Stats
– Razorback Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Westwood One: Listen Online (Chris Carrino and Jordan Cornette)
– Sirius/XM – Westwood One Broadcast: Sirius: 209 / XM: 202 || SXM App Channel 962
– Arkansas Gameday App
– Live Stats

– Arkansas Game Notes
– Kansas Game Notes
– SEC Notes/Stats
– NCAA Tournament Bracket

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Arkansas will start the postseason like it started the preseason by facing Kansas. Arkansas hosted and defeated Kansas in a charity exhibition game on Oct. 25, 2024. On Thursday (Mar. 20), the 10th-seeded Razorbacks square off against the seventh-seeded Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is set for 7:10 pm (ET)/6:10 pm (CT) at Amica Mutual Pavilion and the game will be played on CBS.

The winner of Arkansas-Kansas will face the winner of Omaha-St. John’s on Saturday.

NOTES:

Arkansas and Kansas have met on 14 previous occasions with the Jayhawks owning an 8-6 advantage.
The Razorbacks have won the last two meetings, including a 72-71 victory in the 2023 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Sweet 16 and a 65-64 decision in the 2005 Maui Invitational.
Arkansas is 1-1 all-time versus Kansas in the NCAA Tournament.
This will be the third NCAA Tournament matchup between Calipari and Kansas coach Bill Self. Self won in the 2008 NCAA Championship game when Kansas def. Memphis, 75-68 OT. Calipari won in the 2012 NCAA Championship game when Kentucky def. Kansas, 67-59.
Coach Calipari got his start in coaching at Kansas from 1982-85.
The Last Time Arkansas-Kansas Officially Met was on Mar. 18, 2023, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. The Razorbacks reached the Sweet 16 for a third-straight year with a 72-71 win over top-seeded and 4th-ranked Kansas at Wells Fargo Arena. Devo Davis was spectacular in the second half and Ricky Council IV was clutch down the stretch. Davis poured in 25 points, including 21 in the second half, to help erase a 12-point deficit in the second half. After Davis fouled out late, Council sealed the victory by scoring 11 of the Hogs’ final 15 points, including the final five from the line.
The Last Time Arkansas-Kansas actually met was Oct. 25, 2024, in a charity exhibition game in Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas hosted the preseason #1 team in the nation in a charity exhibition and the then 16th-ranked Razorbacks thrilled a sold-out Bud Walton Arena with an 85-69 victory over Kansas. Both teams were short handed as Arkansas was without Jonas Aidoo while Adou Thiero played limited minutes and Kansas was without Hunter Dickinson, Shakeel Moore and Rylan Griffen. Arkansas was led by guards D.J. Wagner and Boogie Fland, who scored 24 and 22 points, respectively. Zvonimir Ivisic added 18 points. Kansas got 26 points from Dajuan Harris Jr., on 11-of-17 shooting from the field including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Rakease Passmore was the only other Jayhawk in double figures with 11 points.
Arkansas earns its 37th NCAA bid and its fourth in five years. Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2021, ‘22 and ‘23 with back-to-back Elite 8 berths in ‘21 and ‘22. In 2021, Arkansas lost in the Elite 8 to eventual national champion Baylor. In 2022, Arkansas upset #1 overall seed Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. In 2023, Arkansas upset #1 seed Kansas to advance to the Sweet 16.
This is the second time in program history Arkansas has received a No. 10 seed. The other was in 1980 when the Razorbacks lost to #7 seed Kansas State in the Midwest Regional in Lincoln, Neb.
Arkansas is 19-8 in NCAA Tournament first round games (including a loss in a “2nd round game” in 2015 when the “first four” were considered the 1st rd).
Arkansas is 3-1 all-time in Providence at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Razorbacks have played the Providence Friars twice in Providence (1-1). Arkansas lost, 87-81, at Providence on Dec. 23, 1999, and won, 84-72, at Providence in the 2019 NIT First Round.
The Razorbacks (the #12 seed) won two games when it played in Providence for the 1996 NCAA East Region 1st and 2nd Rounds to reach the Sweet 16. The Hogs beat #5 seed and 18th-ranked Penn State, 86-80, on Mar. 14, 1996 and beat #4 seed and 20th-ranked Marquette, 65-56, on Mar. 16, 1996.
John Calipari is 2-0 as head coach when playing in Providence. Also in 1996, while at UMass, Calipari led the Minutemen to 1st & 2nd round wins in the then-called Providence Civic Center over UCF and Stanford, respectively. Ironically, after those wins, UMass beat Arkansas in the Sweet 16 then lost to Kentucky in the Final Four.
Arkansas faced 18 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field. Arkansas was 10-11 versus those 18 teams.
Highlights for John Calipari in his 33rd year as a collegiate head coach:
His 24th NCAA appearance in 32 NCAA Tournaments held with 1 NCAA Championship, 2 – NCAA Runners-Up, 6 – Final Fours, 12 – Elite 8s and 15 – Sweet 16s.
Calipari has a 57-22 (.722) record in NCAA Tournament games. The 57 NCAA wins ties for most among active coaches (Kansas’ Bill Self) and ranks 6th-most all-time.
Calipari got 20 wins for the 30th time in this his 33rd season. He has 30, 20-win seasons; 20, 25-wins seasons; 11, 30-win seasons; 5, 35-plus win seasons; and 3, 38-win seasons. 38 wins in a season is an NCAA record and Coach Calipari is the only coach to win at least 38 games in a season. He did it once at Memphis (2007-08) and twice at Kentucky (2011-12 and 2014-15).

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