Arkansas basketball is now in a far better position with John Calipari as head coach. “Coach Cal” is leading the Razorbacks into the Sweet 16 of March Madness for the second time in three seasons. But have made a mean NCAA Tournament comeback after missing last season's games with a dismal 16-17 mark.

Calipari had to dig deep for this surprise run to come into fruition. And he also needed to pull out some magic ahead of Saturday against St. John's. That came in the form of a fiery hype speech.

“‘How about we give ourselves a chance to make some magic? Let's go fight like heck, play free and loose, [and] whatever happens, happens,'” was the message Calipari shared loud and clear, per ESPN college basketball insider Pete Thamel.

Turns out Calipari's words worked for the 10th-seeded Razorbacks. Arkansas forced the Red Storm's shooting to go cold. The Razorbacks even forced Rick Pitino to sit one of his best shooters RJ Luis Jr. late in the game, which sparked reactions after the St. John's loss.

The “hype” speech propelled Arkansas past one of the favorites to come out of the West regional. Plus add to “Coach Cal's” own story of tournament redemption.

John Calipari delivering ‘rewarding' first season at Arkansas 

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Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks to his team during the first half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Calipari produced NBA-caliber players at the University of Kentucky not long ago. Lexington is also the place where he won his first and only national title — beating a Pitino-led Louisville team in the 2012 contest. Now he dropped this strong take about his first Razorbacks team.

“I told them this is as rewarding a year as I have had based on how far we have come,” Calipari told reporters.

Arkansas struggled to sneak inside the tournament with a 20-13 record. They navigated without top scorer Adou Theiro. Even second-leading scorer Boogie Fland became absent with an injury.

But Calipari returns to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2019. He's reignited a rabid basketball fanbase. His mix of words, coaching and past March success is rubbing off the Razorbacks — and has the Fayetteville campus believing the future is bright with “Coach Cal.” All it took was magic “hype” to spark Arkansas to pull the stunner of a loaded St. John's team.