Providence, R.I. >> John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, guiding the Arkansas Razorbacks past nemesis Rick Pitino and second-seeded St. John’s 75-66 to bring his fourth school to the NCAA Tournament’s second week.

Billy Richmond III scored 16 points and Karter Knox had 15 for the 10th-seeded Razorbacks, who sent Kansas and their Hall of Fame coach Bill Self home from the “Region of Coaches” in the first round.

But the victory over his longtime rival was especially sweet for Calipari.

Zuby Ejiofor had 23 points and 12 rebounds for Big East champion St. John’s (31-5) — an unprecedented sixth school Pitino has taken to the tournament. His history in Providence — the Friars reached the 1987 Final Four in his tenure — gave him a home-court advantage.

Purdue 76, McNeese 62 >> Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Purdue Boilermakers used a fast start to roll to a win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Fletcher Loyer added 15 points. C.J. Cox finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers (24-11), who advanced through the Midwest Region to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

The Boilermakers will meet the winner of top-seed Houston and eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the regional semifinal. In his 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with Purdue, coach Matt Painter is now headed to his eighth Sweet 16.

Sincere Parker had 17 points to lead McNeese (28-7). Javohn Garcia added 12 points as the Cowboys came up short in their bid to give the Southland Conference its first Sweet 16 team since Louisiana Tech in 1985.

McNeese came out in the 2-3 zone that was so successful during its first-round win over Clemson.

But Purdue hit 7 of its first 9 field goals and 3 of its first 4 3-point attempts to build an early double-digit advantage.