John Calipari’s daughter was going through it while sitting in the stands during Arkansas’ hard-fought victory over Kansas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
CBS cameras captured Megan Calipari with her head tucked her in lap as the Razorbacks went on a 7-0 run to go up four with less than two minutes to left to play.
Calipari’s 10th-seeded Razorbacks held on to upset the No. 7 seed Jayhawks, 79-72, at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
John Calipari’s daughter, Megan being consoled by her mom, Ellen during the final minutes of Arkansas’ hard-fought victory over Kansas in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2025. X/Clutch Points
Megan was hunched over in her seat while her mom, Ellen Calipari, patted her back, as seen in videos on social media.
The Razorbacks were down by three points with three minutes left in the second half before they gained momentum.
John Calipari’s daughter, Megan being consoled by her mom, Ellen during the final minutes of Arkansas’ hard-fought victory over Kansas in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2025. Instagram/March Madness
Megan, who matched her mom in a red shirt, could hardly watch.
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Taking to her Instagram Stories after the game, Megan re-shared a photo of the moment that was captioned, “Its ok you can breathe now!”
The image showed Ellen appearing to console Megan after Arkansas advanced to the second round to face St. John’s on Saturday.
“Hey guys thanks for asking but no I’m not okay,” Megan wrote.
John Calipari’s daughter, Megan re-shared a photo of her being consoled by her mom, Ellen during the final minutes of Arkansas’ hard-fought victory over Kansas in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20, 2025. Instagram/Megan Calipari
Arkansas head coach John Calipari looks on during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament against the Kansas Jayhawks at Amica Mutual Pavillion on March 20, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. Getty Images
There was added pressure on Calipari entering March Madness 2025 as Arkansas secured its first NCAA tournament win since reaching the Sweet 16 in 2023 under then-coach Eric Musselman.
It marked Calipari’s 58th NCAA Tournament win and he leads all active coaches, breaking a tie with Kansas head coach Bill Self.
Arkansas will tip off against the No. 2 seed St. John’s on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET.
