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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball is officially back in the men's NCAA Tournament, riding a late-season surge to end a one-year hiatus.
The Razorbacks (20-13) earned a No. 10 seed on Selection Sunday and will face No. 7 Kansas (21-12) on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of the West Region. This is the fourth time in the past five seasons that Arkansas received an invitation to March Madness, but this will be the Hogs' first trip under John Calipari.
More: Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out
More: How much does John Calipari make? Arkansas basketball coach's pay sits atop SEC rivals
St. John's is the No. 2 seed and Omaha is the No. 15 seed in Arkansas' section of the bracket. Those are the potential second-round matchups Saturday for the Hogs. The games will be played at Spectrum Center.
Florida is the No. 1 seed in the West Region, which will be in San Francisco. Rounding out the region's top-four seeds are No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Maryland.
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The Razorbacks went 11-2 in nonconference action, but a nightmare 0-5 start in the SEC gave Calipari a massive hill to climb to ensure his debut season didn't end with a disappointing snub.
Arkansas rallied in the second half of the conference slate by winning four of its final five regular-season games. There were notable victories over Missouri, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The lone loss came to last-place South Carolina, but the Hogs avenged that defeat in the SEC Tournament.
Because of injuries, the Razorbacks utilized a seven-man rotation across their past six games, but more help is on the way. The university recently announced freshman point guard Boogie Fland is medically cleared to return and should play in the first round, barring a setback.
Arkansas finished with a 5-10 record against Quad 1 opponents and a 4-3 record in Quad 2 games. The three losses to Quad 2 opponents kept the Hogs on the bubble, but the grueling SEC schedule provided enough opportunities to add quality wins to their résumé. A road victory over Kentucky and a neutral-court triumph against Michigan proved critical.
This will be the Hogs' 37th appearance in the national bracket. The Hogs are 22-12 in NCAA Tournament openers and own a 50-35 all-time record in NCAA action.
The Razorbacks made back-to-back appearances in the Elite 8 in 2021-22. They've made 14 trips to the Sweet 16 and participated in six Final Fours. Their last trip to the national semifinal came in 1995. The previous season, Arkansas won its only national title.
Calipari will participate in his 24th NCAA Tournament. His record includes 15 trips to the Sweet 16, 12 appearances in the Elite 8, six Final Four births, three national title games and a national championship with Kentucky in 2012.
However, Calipari hasn't made it out of the first weekend since 2019 and has a 1-3 record in his past three NCAA Tournaments.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas' March Madness opponent is Kansas in 2025 NCAA bracket
Continue reading...
The Razorbacks (20-13) earned a No. 10 seed on Selection Sunday and will face No. 7 Kansas (21-12) on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island, as part of the West Region. This is the fourth time in the past five seasons that Arkansas received an invitation to March Madness, but this will be the Hogs' first trip under John Calipari.
More: Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out
More: How much does John Calipari make? Arkansas basketball coach's pay sits atop SEC rivals
St. John's is the No. 2 seed and Omaha is the No. 15 seed in Arkansas' section of the bracket. Those are the potential second-round matchups Saturday for the Hogs. The games will be played at Spectrum Center.
Florida is the No. 1 seed in the West Region, which will be in San Francisco. Rounding out the region's top-four seeds are No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 4 Maryland.
Buy Arkansas NCAA Tournament Tickets
How Arkansas basketball earned a No. 10 seed
The Razorbacks went 11-2 in nonconference action, but a nightmare 0-5 start in the SEC gave Calipari a massive hill to climb to ensure his debut season didn't end with a disappointing snub.
Arkansas rallied in the second half of the conference slate by winning four of its final five regular-season games. There were notable victories over Missouri, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. The lone loss came to last-place South Carolina, but the Hogs avenged that defeat in the SEC Tournament.
Because of injuries, the Razorbacks utilized a seven-man rotation across their past six games, but more help is on the way. The university recently announced freshman point guard Boogie Fland is medically cleared to return and should play in the first round, barring a setback.
Arkansas finished with a 5-10 record against Quad 1 opponents and a 4-3 record in Quad 2 games. The three losses to Quad 2 opponents kept the Hogs on the bubble, but the grueling SEC schedule provided enough opportunities to add quality wins to their résumé. A road victory over Kentucky and a neutral-court triumph against Michigan proved critical.
Arkansas basketball's NCAA Tournament history
This will be the Hogs' 37th appearance in the national bracket. The Hogs are 22-12 in NCAA Tournament openers and own a 50-35 all-time record in NCAA action.
The Razorbacks made back-to-back appearances in the Elite 8 in 2021-22. They've made 14 trips to the Sweet 16 and participated in six Final Fours. Their last trip to the national semifinal came in 1995. The previous season, Arkansas won its only national title.
Calipari will participate in his 24th NCAA Tournament. His record includes 15 trips to the Sweet 16, 12 appearances in the Elite 8, six Final Four births, three national title games and a national championship with Kentucky in 2012.
However, Calipari hasn't made it out of the first weekend since 2019 and has a 1-3 record in his past three NCAA Tournaments.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas' March Madness opponent is Kansas in 2025 NCAA bracket
Continue reading...
