03. Arkansas Razorbacks
2024-25 Record: 22-14 (8-10 SEC)
Arkansas’s upside is largely unknown. John Calipari has done more with young players than just about any other coach in college basketball. Though it did look like his luck was starting to run out last season before the Razorbacks finally found their groove and won enough down he stretch to earn an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Hogs’ roster looks quite different than it did last year, with many quality producers either running out of eligibility or transferring - Boogie Fland and Zvonimir Ivisic both hit the portal, transferring to Florida and Illinois, respectively. And Adou Theiro and Johnell Davis ran out of their eligibility. But even with those losses, Arkansas is in a better situation going into year two under Calipari.
Arkansas added two five-star recruits, Darius Acuff Jr and Meleek Thomas, who should play huge roles this season. Karter Knox (8.3 ppg) was arguably the team's best player down the stretch, nearly leading the Hogs to an upset over Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament. DJ Wagner (11.2 ppg) returns for a third season under Calipari, and Trevon Brazile (6.8 ppg) allows the Hogs to play a small lineup and push the pace on offense.
And even though the transfer portal haul was small, Arkansas picked up two experienced big men. Malique Ewin (14.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) led the ACC in field goal percentage at 59.6 and should give the Hogs a true scoring center. And Nick Pringle (9.5 ppg) should be a tough player coming off the bench.
The offense should be fine this season, but there will probably, once again, not be much perimeter scoring. Most of the players on the roster want to get to the rim, which ended up working out last season. The balance on the roster is much better this season, and it doesn’t appear that there are many players on the roster who need to dominate the ball to be effective scorers. This team has tremendous upside; it's all about making sure the pieces fit moving forward.
This season could be reminiscent of Cal's teams of years past - the rest of the SEC better be prepared.