John Calipari did everything Kentucky thought he couldn't to get Arkansas past Kansas

To say that Kentucky fans weren't exactly torn up about John Calipari's departure from Lexington last spring would be an understatement. Coach Cal deserved credit for revitalizing what had been a sleeping giant, including a national title back in 2011-12. But as time went on, Calipari grew more and more set in his ways, stubbornly digging his heels in and refusing to consider any changes to his system despite diminishing returns.

Kentucky failed to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament in each of Calipari's final three seasons in Lexington, a span that included two humiliating first-round exits against St. Peter's and Oakland. Rather than adjust, he simply got more hostile toward the very idea of criticism, and Big Blue Nation was just fine with a change at the top.

But it turns out that Calipari just needed a change of scenery to turn over a new life. Back in the NCAA Tournament again with Arkansas, he refused to repeat past mistakes, and the Hogs are moving on to the second round because of it.

John Calipari made the adjustments Kentucky thought he couldn't in Arkansas win over Kansas

Of course, the 10-seed Razorbacks' performance against 7-seed Kansas on Thursday was far from perfect; a furious Jayhawks rally in the second half left Arkansas trailing in the game's final minutes. But the Hogs just kept on coming, as Calipari's lineup decisions paid off in a big way.

Well, one decision in particular: Calipari ran his late-game offense largely through FAU transfer Johnell Davis, and the veteran guard delivered with 18 points on just 10 shots including a couple of huge makes down the stretch.

It wasn't all that long ago that Davis was looking like one of the more disappointing moves of last summer's transfer portal cycle. He was an afterthought for his first 2-3 months in Fayetteville, averaging just 8.3 points on around seven shot attempts per game — far cries from his previous numbers.

But when star freshman Boogie Fland went down, everything changed. Now forced to find a new offensive fulcrum, Calipari turned to Davis, and the transfer delivered, averaging nearly 14 points per game on 11.9 field goal attempts. It was one of the main reasons why Arkansas was able to turn its season around and get to the NCAA Tournament in the first place.

With Fland shockingly returning for the first round, Calipari was faced with a decision: Go back to the way things had been and accommodate his star recruit, or stick with what was working? Coach Cal opted for the latter, and it was likely the difference between moving on and going home.