John Calipari cracks Powerball lottery ticket joke while sharing message he gave Arkansas players

The national Powerball jackpot eclipsed $1.1 billion ahead of Monday’s next drawing after there were no winners for the top prize on Saturday. And you can count John Calipari among those vying for the near-record Powerball purse, regardless of how this season plays out in Fayetteville.

Whether he ultimately wins or not, the 66-year-old Arkansas head men’s basketball coach used the billion-dollar Powerball prize as a motivational tool ahead of Saturday night’s 93-86 win over No. 16 Texas Tech in Dallas, and clearly it paid off.

Senior forward Trevon Brazile posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds while freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. and sophomore guard Karter Knox each dropped 20 points apiece as the 17th-ranked Razorbacks avenged last season’s Sweet 16 loss (85-83 in overtime) against the Red Raiders.

Calipari’s pregame message to his Arkansas players was a reminder that only they control whether or not they live up to their own potential. And while cashing lottery tickets are entirely up to chance, whether the Razorbacks reach their own sky-high potential this season is entirely in their own hands.

“I told everybody in the room, everyone of you have a (lottery) ticket. Be your best version and you can cash that ticket,” Calipari said postgame. “If you’re trying to be somebody else, you’re not cashing that ticket. Because you have to be fearless, you have to be confident, (and) no one is building your confidence, you build your own. I’m not running a bunch of plays for you, go make plays. … Then I asked them if any of them bought (Powerball lottery) tickets.”

At this point, Calipari turned the table on the assembled media inside the American Airlines Center and pointed out that even a game of chance can result in quite the payday, even for college basketball’s second-highest paid head coach.

“How many of you bought tickets?” said Calipari, who makes $8 million annually. “F*** Powerball tickets, it’s a billion dollars. I did.”

With Saturday’s win, No. 17 Arkansas (8-2) has won three straight since a Nov. 27 loss to No. 3 Duke (80-71), including a pair of Top 20-ranked wins against No. 11 Louisville and Texas Tech. The Razorbacks next play No. 7 Houston (10-1) this upcoming Saturday inside the Prudential Center before opening SEC play on Jan. 3 against No. 20 Tennessee (7-3) inside Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.