John Calipari may have overseen a historic collapse for Arkansas against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, but the blame may not rest solely on his shoulders. During the studio coverage of this pivotal matchup, Adam Lefkoe, Candace Parker, Jay Wright, and Seth Davis highlighted Arkansas’s impressive seven-point halftime lead. It was at this moment that Lefkoe shared a stat that seemed to secure Calipari’s success—unless one subscribes to the concept of announcer jinxes.
“This stat is crazy…Calipari has had a lead of six or more in the NCAA Tournament 35 times. He’s 35-0.” – Adam Lefkoe with Arkansas leading 38-31 at halftime. 😬 pic.twitter.com/t4d8n1PWBV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 28, 2025
“This stat is crazy,” Lefkoe remarked, citing Calipari’s flawless record when leading by six or more points in 35 tournament appearances. However, Seth Davis quickly jumped in, pointing out, “Well, you just mushed him…You don’t say that on TV!” to which Parker added, “announcer jinx.” Defending himself, Lefkoe retorted, “I’m just reading statistics; if they’re going to mess it up, that’s on them.”
Unfortunately for Calipari, the jinx seemed to take effect. Despite starting the second half strong and even stretching their lead, the Razorbacks ultimately squandered a 16-point advantage and lost a crucial 13-point lead in the final five minutes, leading to an 85-83 overtime defeat against Texas Tech.
While many criticize Calipari for not calling a timeout with seven seconds left to strategize their final offensive play after Texas Tech took an 85-83 lead in overtime, true believers in announcer jinxes would argue that the blame lies primarily with Lefkoe.
