NCAA Basketball: Preseason top 25 power rankings for 2022-23 season

The Razorbacks underwent a complete roster turnover, with over 10 newcomers to the roster. That includes the No. 2 overall recruiting class, led by top-3 overall freshman Nick Smith. He’s arguably the best perimeter player in the entire 2022 recruiting class and is a projected lottery pick in the next NBA Draft. The 6’5 playmaker can score at all three levels and is an elite passer as well.

Arkansas has two other five-star freshmen coming in as well in Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black. Walsh is a 6’7 scoring wing that also is a talented defender, while Black’s versatility allows him to play four positions and also could be a ball-handler on offense as well. There are three other top-100 freshmen on the roster, including preseason tour standout forward Barry Dunning. Also, don’t discount returning combo guard Davonte Davis, who has averaged 8.7 ppg in the past two seasons but also has struggled to find a role at times in the backcourt.

Among the five incoming transfers, the lone non-frontcourt player is Ricky Council. He averaged around 12.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg as a sophomore at Wichita State and was the AAC 6th Man of the Year last season. The other four operate inside, including Arizona State transfer Jalen Graham, Missouri transfer Trevon Brazile, and former Rhode Island bigs, Mahkel and Mahki Mitchell. The Mitchell twins are true centers and rebounders, while Graham is the best post-scoring option on the roster.

Brazile has the most potential out of the group. He started as a freshman at Missouri and blocked nearly two shots a game. He’s an amazing athlete and could explode playing with these dynamic guards. All of the frontcourt transfers have shot-blocking capabilities so with a quality defense inside and a potent offense outside, Arkansas has plenty to work with.