In a matchup between two coaches trying to avoid transforming into has-beens, John Calipari proved he still is.
Calipari's 10-seed Arkansas Razorbacks beat Bill Self's 7-seed Kansas Jayhawks 79-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island.
The West Region has a trio of Hall of Fame college basketball coaches down at the bottom of the bracket that has made annual trips to the NCAA Tournament during March long before there was a transfer portal or players were paid above the table, although no guarantee none of them were paying players before then.
With Calipari winning the first coaching meetup, the Razorbacks will likely play the 2-seed St John's Johnnies in the second round on Saturday. The Johnnies are led by another coaching legend in Rick Pitino, who has catapulted the program to national relevance again while doing the same for himself.
Neither team showed dominance Thursday evening, as the largest Arkansas' lead ever grew to was 11 points in the second half. Kansas fought back, though, and took a 65-64 lead with 5:43 left. But as the basketball court became a chessboard, Calipari's pawns did what they needed to do to take down the king of Lawrence, Kansas.
The Razorbacks overcame injuries and embraced a new culture all while battling through an SEC that sent a record 14 teams dancing. And in the end, Calipari still got his new program where he's accustomed to being.
For the Jayhawks, the loss concluded a disappointing 21-13 season. It was the first time since 2006 that Kansas was bounced in the first round. The Jayhawks haven't made it to the second week of the NCAA Tournament since 2022.
Calipari and Pitino have found new life late in their careers at new programs. Calipari, after getting ran out of Kentucky last year, has proven he's still got it, he just had to go find it again.
Self, though, has been at Kansas for 22 years. The number of losses is growing and the NCAA Tournament runs are getting shorter. Old dogs can't learn new tricks, but maybe they can try new places.