13. Arkansas (11-3)
Early losses at Michigan State and against Duke were more than forgivable for any team but John Calipari’s unit has really found their footing here over the last month or so. The Razorbacks secured impressive wins over Louisville and Texas Tech before a tough loss against Houston, but it’s more about the momentum. This offense is played markedly better than earlier in the season and they’ll need those fireworks to traverse SEC play.
The last nonconference matchup came Monday, as Arkansas won with ease over James Madison in a 103-74 decision. The freshmen were fantastic, as Meleek Thomas had 28 points off the bench while Darius Acuff Jr. added 17 points and 6 assists. The real fireworks came Saturday, with the Razorbacks winning 86-75 over a ranked Tennessee team. Acuff stole the show this time with 29 points while Thomas added 18 points in the SEC debut.
You almost couldn’t have asked for a better start to league play, as the Razorbacks downed a legit Tennessee team and held serve on their home court. The recent success for the offense continued and those two standout freshmen are really living up to their preseason billing for Arkansas. Nothing comes easy in this league packed with talent, as Arkansas heads to Ole Miss and Auburn for two big road tests in the days ahead.