By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Charles Krupa / AP
Arkansas Razorbacks upsets No. 2 St John’s Red Storm 75-66 in a competitive, physical game.
Billy Richmond III was the Razorbacks’ player of the game. He led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds. Karter Knox added 15 points. The Razorbacks had seven blocked shots.
The Red Storm missed so many layups. This is a crushing loss for the program, which had a joyous season. No one saw them losing to the Razorbacks in the second round.
Both teams did poorly, especially from the three-point range. Neither team is good at three-point shooting.
Zuby Ejiofor played his heart out against the Razorbacks. He led the Red Storm with 23 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
Kadary Richmond was a terrible game. He fielded out and couldn’t make shots. He spent most of the game on the bench because of foul trouble. His team needed him to step up, and his leadership fell apart.
The Razorbacks and Johnnies played very physically. Both teams played like grown men. There were fouls and trash-talking, especially from Trevon Brazile and Ejiofor.
The flagrant foul one-call on Brazile was absurd. It should’ve been called a common foul.
Red Storm couldn’t get over the hump. They had chances. The Razorbacks put them away.
Coach Rick Pitino benched Luis Jr for the last few minutes of the second half. It’s a controversial move since Luis Jr was the Big East Player of the Year. He averaged 18 points for the season.
Luis Jr. struggled for a long time in this game. You can see on his face that his confidence was shattered, or he was frustrated that he couldn’t get going. He finished the game going 3-of-17 from the field and scored nine points.
The Razorbacks are a team that has dealt with injuries and has lost five games in a row against one point. One of the key moments of the game was when they ended the first half on a 7-0 run, leading 35-32.
Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. Whether you like or dislike Calipari, he is an intelligent coach who believes in and motivates his players. He challenges his players.
This was the fifth NCAA Tournament matchup between Calipari and Pitino. Calipari wins for the third time in a row against Pitino.
Razorbacks will face Texas Tech in the Sweet 16.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
