The John Calipari-led Arkansas Razorbacks suffered their first setback of the 2025–26 NCAA season, falling 69–66 to Michigan State in a stunning upset. Despite strong efforts from key contributors, the Razorbacks couldn’t close out in the final minutes, allowing a late Spartan surge to turn what looked like a statement win into an early-season reality check, one that even caught the attention of Michigan State alum and NBA legend Magic Johnson.

Following the win of his alma mater, Johnson took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post, “Michigan State University’s Men’s Basketball team had a big win tonight against top ranked Arkansas, beating them 69-66! The Breslin Center on the MSU campus was electric ⚡️.”

While the game was in the hands of the Razorbacks in the beginning. With just 1 minute and 41 seconds remaining on the clock, the Arkansas men managed to draw the score at 66-66. However, when they had to push through the pressure, Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears calmly sank key free throws, while crucial misses from Acuff and Trevon Brazile in the final seconds sealed the upset.

Brazile, who scored 25 points and secured 11 rebounds in the last game, failed to meet the expectations in this one, as the forwards scored only 3 points.

Whereas, for the Spartans, freshman Cam Ward stole the show with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Coen Carr added 15 points and seven boards. The Razorbacks struggled from deep, shooting just 1-of-14 from three-point range, while the Spartans went 0-of-7 from beyond the arc, making the rebounding and paint scoring the deciding factor.

And witnessing the amazing comeback in the final minutes of the game, even Magic Johnson couldn’t hide his excitement. But as the season moves forward now, one question remains – will the Arkansas Razorbacks be able to make a comeback from this?

What’s next for John Calipari and the Razorbacks?

Speaking after the loss in an interview with BOAS, Calipari said, “The game got so physical, cutting and screening and getting screened, and it wears you out, and now all of a sudden your shooting goes. I’m glad we came up here. You want to win every game, but at this time in the year, you either win or you learn. We learned.”

The Arksanas men currently sit in the 14th spot with a win and a loss under their sheet.

They will face the Central Arkansas Bears and the Samford Bulldogs for their next games. However, their ultimate test will be on November 27th, when they play against the No. 6-ranked Duke Blue Devils.