PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari said earlier this week he is back to his roots in an underdog role.
His team embraced that character Thursday night.
The 10th-seeded Razorbacks wiped away a late deficit and upended seventh-seeded Kansas 79-72 in a thriller at the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Arkansas (21-13) will face the winner of 15th-seeded Omaha and second-seeded St. John’s on Saturday at a time yet to be announced.
“This was a good one,” Calipari said. “That was an NCAA Tournament game — two teams battling it out, making shots, making plays, and we got away from them at the very end.