John Calipari on family reaction to win vs. St. John's: 'I wish it was a blowout so they didn't have to cry'

John Calipari is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019 after Arkansas defeated St. John’s 75-66 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It was an emotional day for the Razorbacks head coach, as well as his family.

His wife, Ellen, and daughter, Megan, were shown on the broadcast in the final moments of the matchup emotional after it became clear that Arkansas was nearing victory. Calipari joined ESPN College GameDay on Sunday following the victory, where he reacted to his family’s emotional response to his program’s massive victory.

“I know how hard this is on families,” Calipari said. “I mean when people are attacking me or losing games or whatever, and they (his family) watch and see how I am. It affects them. … I wish it was a blowout so they didn’t have to cry.”

Ellen and Megan Calipari in all the tears, as John Calipari is far from finished folks.

Back in a Sweet 16, and doing it year one at Arkansas. And over Pitino.

🎥 @sluggahjells #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/hTivJx0Xa5

— The Whole Delivery (@TWDTV1) March 22, 2025

The emotional response comes as Calipari’s recent struggles in the NCAA Tournament loomed large over the Arkansas basketball team coming into the postseason. On top of not making the second weekend in six seasons, two of the last three years Calipari coached at Kentucky saw the Wildcats be upset in the first round of the tournament.

After making the move to Arkansas, there were questions down the stretch this season whether or not the Razorbacks would even make the NCAA Tournament field. After Arkansas lost its first five games to start SEC play, the Razorbacks would go on to win eight of its final 13 regular season games against conference competition.

That final stretch, in the end, was enough for the selection committee to give the Razorbacks the nod. Put it all together, and Sunday’s win was as emotional one as the Calipari family has had in years.

“I had more texts from people that cried watching Ellen and Megan, and then I guess they both cried,” Calipari continued. “… They came down when it was over after. I mean, I’m trying to tell the world that this is not about me. This is [about] families, just the way I look at my players. It’s about their family, not just them. So I was happy people got to see what our family is about.”

Now, Calipari’s Razorbacks are set to take on Texas Tech with an opportunity to make the Elite Eight next weekend. As it stands, Arkansas is the betting underdog heading into the matchup — just the way they like it.