“I told them how proud I was of them and there’s nothing they could do to disappointment me. Yeah, there were plays I wish they had done different or made, but these kids gave everything, even in this game they gave everything they had to try to win the game.” – John Calipari, March 27, 2025

Eventually, I think that’s where many fans will end up with Arkansas’ 2024-25 basketball team and the 85-83 collapse to Texas Tech that ended its season Thursday night in San Fransisco. Put the soul-stealing heartbreak aside, if you’re able, and seek perspective by remembering what we all just witnessed in the past year.

John Tyson convinced John Calipari to leave Kentucky for Arkansas. After inheriting a team with no returning players, he quickly assembled one of the nation’s most athletic rosters but then dealt with injuries to a few of his top players at different points of the season. They start 0-5 and 1-6 in conference play, triumph in Lexington, and here come the Hogs.

Appropriately seeded based on their resume, but woefully misplaced in the bracket based on talent, coaching, and timing.

Calipari pushed all the right buttons to get the Razorbacks in the Dance. He received a timely boost with players getting healthy, knocked off a good friend in Bill Self and a not-so-good friend in Rick Pitino, then had a major collapse in front of everybody and their mother Thursday night in San Francisco. 

If you were told on this date a year ago that Calipari would leave Kentucky for Arkansas and take the Hogs to a Sweet 16 in his first year, but weren’t given details about how they’d get there, you’d probably sign up for it all day long.

After all, it’d give you four Sweet 16 appearances in five years, further establishing Arkansas’ seat back at the big boy table in college basketball; it would annoy Kentucky fans who wanted rid of Calipari for not making Sweet 16s, and it’d serve as a statement to Eric Musselman that the show goes on with or without him. 

On top of that, a Sweet 16 run with the amount of press that came with this one can only result in more elite recruiting for the Hogs. 

You take that all day for Year 1, because it sets up for what could be a memorable Year 2.

So, as someone who predicted — guessed — this exact path of Arkansas notching wins over Kansas and St. John’s before falling to Texas Tech, part of me questions why I spent all night wondering why bad things happen to good people after the Hogs came up short. It wasn’t even in the same universe as the pain associated with the 2018 incident that you only bring up with your therapist, but certainly a crushing blow that now has its place in Pinto’s Hogs-Gonna-Hog history book.

On the other hand, it’s more than fair to say Arkansas gift-wrapped that one for the Red Raiders, who aren’t stellar but certainly don’t beat themselves and are capable of turning your mistakes into their clutch comeback.

It feels like Florida is about to smoke Tech on Saturday, but Grant McCasland’s team was deserving of its 3 seed and JT Toppin has been one of the best players in the tournament. Take nothing away from them, but this one stings Razorback fans more than most because Arkansas was clearly the better team for about 90% of the night.

It’s awful when it’s your team that chokes in front of everyone, but that’s the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas has enjoyed its fair share of nights on the opposite end.

The Hogs absolutely should be playing again Saturday, but Calipari has already shifted his focus to what will be an extremely highly-anticipated second year on the job. There’s definitely plenty of groundwork to build on, some that predates his arrival in Fayetteville: Four Sweet 16s in five years. Two elite eights. Elite recruiting. High expectations. Unlimited resources. Insane exposure. 

Arkansas is in as good a position as anyone to make a run at another national championship in the coming years. Last night was brutal, but it might be just part of the process.

Calipari took Kentucky to the Final Four in his second year in Lexington. He won it all in his third year.

We’ve seen guys win it all in Year 2, too, like former UCONN coach Kevin Ollie. Mick Cronin went to the Final Four in Year 2 at UCLA. Muss went to the elite eight in his second year. So did Chris Beard at Texas Tech, then he played for it all in Year 3.

You just never know where a night like that might end up in the big-picture timeline of events.

Let it sting, let it scar. Let the anticipation begin.