Arkansas Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Razorbacks

Projected starters

6-foot-11 forward Daniel Gafford put up 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. The All-SEC rookie team selection is the only player returning in 2018-19 that averaged double-figures scoring. 6-foot-6 forward Adrio Bailey is another player that will fill in on the wing. He started 16 games last year including the final four contests of the season for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

The biggest question marks in the rotation will come in the backcourt with the departures of Anton Beard, Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford. The trio combined for 44.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.4 assists per contest last year in the starting rotation. 6-foot-2 guard Jalen Harris is the only player with major college playing time. He sat out the 2017-18 campaign after transferring from New Mexico.

Another player that will look to fill the void in the backcourt is 6-foot-5 guard Mason Jones. Jones was the 13th-ranked junior college prospect out of Connors State College. He produced 15.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game last season while leading the team in 3-pointers made (72) and 3-point field goal percentage (42.9 percent).

With seven other freshmen incoming, the biggest standout that could make an impact is 6-foot-3 point guard Keyshawn Embry. Embry was the rated 103rd prospect in the 2018 recruiting class coming out of IMG Academy (FL). He’s listed as a point guard but he’s a combo guard capable of taking on multiple roles on both ends.

The Razorbacks ranked second in the SEC in points per game (80.5) during the regular season last year. They’ll have a tough time repeating the trend but with 6-foot-11 forward Daniel Gafford back for his sophomore season, they’ve got a solid building-block in the frontcourt.