Times have been relatively great at Arkansas in recent years, though this program underwent a major change last offseason. After Eric Musselman’s decision to head back to the west coast, the Razorbacks took a massive swing and landed longtime Kentucky coach John Calipari. There weren’t any questions about Calipari’s ability to bring recruits and build a winning culture but would he be able to recapture that magic in Fayetteville after some rough years up in Lexington?
Some of those questions were answered last season, as Calipari’s debut went about as great as humanly possible. The Razorbacks weren’t a top team in the SEC, but hung tough throughout one of the strongest seasons for a conference in college basketball history. When the games really mattered, Arkansas showed up, upsetting Kansas and St. John’s to make the Sweet Sixteen before falling just short against Texas Tech for a 22-win campaign.
These days, building a successful program isn’t just about the freshmen recruiting that Calipari has handled masterfully throughout his coaching career. Arkansas leaned heavily on transfers like Johnell Davis and Adou Theiro who won’t be back this season, though a crop of young talent is looking to make their mark instead. The Razorbacks added another elite recruiting class and even found some key pieces in the portal yet again.
What kind of season can we expect from the Razorbacks in year two under Calipari’s leadership? We’re going to look at the pieces assembled by this coaching staff and try to figure out their rotation while also looking ahead to the important games on the schedule. The SEC should remain an absolutely brutal dogfight, but the Razorbacks just might have the talent to have a say in how things develop.
Projected Starters
Guard – D. J. Wagner (Junior)
Named All-Freshman in the SEC under Calipari at Kentucky, Wagner followed his head coach to the Razorbacks last season and served an important role during that postseason run. The former 5-star recruit averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists at the point and becomes an even more important presence this season, especially with the youth around him in the backcourt.
Guard – Darius Acuff Jr. (Freshman)
Considered by most sites a Top 5 recruit in this freshman class, Acuff comes to Fayetteville with raised expectations and should immediately be a major contributor. He’s perhaps the most dynamic freshman guard in the country and will get a shot to make moves at both backcourt positions. He’s the kind of player who makes everyone around him just a bit better and could prove very consequential to Arkansas’s hopes this season as a leader even as a true freshman.
Guard/Forward – Karter Knox (Sophomore)
Last year saw Knox show signs of brilliance, proving the 6-6 forward out of Tampa really was a highly-touted prospect. Considered a Top 25 recruit, his freshman year saw him average 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game with decent shooting numbers. Knox really started to put everything together in the latter half of the season and with another year of development could be an outstanding wing in this offense.
Forward – Trevon Brazile (Senior)
Brazile has dealt with a few injuries over the years and now enters the fifth season of his career; his fourth in Arkansas. Last year under Calipari’s leadership, Brazile wasn’t as impressive, but the 6-9 forward from Missouri averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds and really found his footing late in the season. He started every game in March and was monumental in their postseason, with Arkansas hoping for even more from in his senior season.
Forward – Nick Pringle (Senior)
No stranger to the SEC, Pringle arrives after previous experience with Wofford, Alabama, and South Carolina. After decent work with the Crimson Tide, Pringle had his best season with the Gamecocks last year, averaging 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds as a starting forward during a tough year for that program. The 6-9 forward now has a chance to secure a major role in Arkansas’s frontcourt, though he’s not the only one fighting for major minutes.
Key Reserves
Guard – Meleek Thomas (Freshman)
A 5-star shooting guard out of Atlanta, Thomas has a chance to step into a major role right off the bat with Arkansas. He’s a freshman and his game is still coming together, but he’s a high volume scorer who can make difficult shots and produce all over the court. With the depth lost this offseason, Thomas’s role could be a very important one if he transitions smoothly to the college game.
Forward – Malique Ewin (Senior)
Despite being a former Top 100 recruit, things didn’t work out at Ole Miss and Ewin went the junior college route. Last year at Florida State, he really found his footing, averaging 14.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while leading the ACC in field goal percentage at just 59.6%. Ewin is a quality rebounder and impressive paint presence who could work his way into the starting lineup or at least get those kinds of minutes.
Guard/Forward – Billy Richmond III (Sophomore)
Another top recruit from last season, Richmond is a 6-5 forward from Memphis who was an undisputed 4-star prospect, though he didn’t quite get much run as a true freshman. Coming off the bench, he put up 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He’s an athletic wing with great talent inside the paint, though his outside shooting still needs work.
Guard – Isaiah Sealy (Freshman)
Sealy is a 6-7 forward from Springdale, Arkansas and was a fringe Top 100 prospect this season. He won’t have the same instant impact as some of the elite freshmen additions, but he’s a strong athlete who can drive to the basket and hit shots outside the arc. Sealy should factor into a solid role off the bench as his game continues to develop.
Forward – Paulo Semedo (Freshman)
A late addition in the offseason, Semedo is a 7-1 big man out of Angola who was considered a 4-star prospect. His size is clearly impressive, with a massive wingspan and an ability to move fluidly, but he’s still a relatively raw prospect who needs time to develop other aspects of his game. When everything comes together, Semedo could be an absolute steal for Calipari and his staff.
Schedule Outlook
The Razorbacks will certainly be busy in nonconference play, and we’re not even factoring in enticing exhibition matches with Cincinnati and Memphis. The first weekend of the season sees Arkansas head to Michigan State for a tough first road trip. They’ll have several November tune ups at home, but the Razorbacks head to Chicago on Thanksgiving for a matchup with Duke.
As part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, a home date with Louisville will open up December. Just over a week later, the Razorbacks head to Dallas, facing Texas Tech as part of the Revocruit Rematch. Exactly a week following that game comes an old rival, as Arkansas heads out to New Jersey to face Houston, a team in last season’s national title game.
SEC play still beckons after all of those challenges, and it begins with a home date against feisty Tennessee to kick off January. We won’t detail every twist and turn of the conference schedule, but this team gets two cracks at Auburn, LSU, and Missouri. They get to host Calipari’s former team in Kentucky, though their only games with Alabama and Florida are both on the road.
Season Outlook
Let’s take a step back here for a second and look at the whole picture. Arkansas seemed to find their stride late last season, but that’s constantly been a theme for Calipari’s teams. While his Kentucky squads weren’t having great postseason success in recent years, he once again found something with the talent on his Arkansas team last year and got them to the Sweet Sixteen.
Davis, Theiro, and a few other notable names may be gone, but as we previously mentioned this team was playing great ball down the stretch. That includes Knox and Brazile, whose best ball came in the last month of the season. Arkansas really needs those two playing at their best, especially with all of the youth in this rotation. Knox himself is only going to be a sophomore, though he could be a special player if he takes the expected leap in his second year.
We have to spend a few moments thinking about that recruiting class, because the Razorbacks may have four gems here. Acuff is going to be a natural in this backcourt while Thomas and Sealy are both impressive shooters who really shore up the depth. This team wasn’t exactly known for their long-range shooting, leaving Calipari and his staff hoping that these new pieces can change that. Let’s not forget about Semedo either because no matter how raw a prospect his size will command attention.
The big question mark comes at the 5, and it’s not just about Semedo. Both Ewin and Pringle put up impressive numbers last season, albeit as starters on power conference teams that had really tough seasons. They’ve made their transition to Fayetteville and we don’t know exactly how productive either will be, but Arkansas has the luxury of having a talented, veteran presence in the paint at all times.
When the dust finally settles on this offseason, what we have is an Arkansas team that should be in the Top 25 and has the potential to make another postseason run. There’s incredible talent leading the charge in Acuff and Wagner and veteran experience at the back end. It’ll be ever important to see how this team gels and if they can be a better shooting team than last season.