SEC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2024-25 season

4. Arkansas Razorbacks

When bringing in a new coach it's hard to use the previous year as a starting point. And with Eric Musselman taking the Southern California job and nearly the entire Razorback roster hitting the portal, a clean slate is exactly what John Calipari needed when he took over at Arkansas.

With Trevon Brazile being the sole returning scholarship player from last year's team, Calipari sought out some of the top players in the transfer portal. The biggest portal addition was Johnell Davis. Davis averaged 18.2 points and 6.2 rebounds at FAU while making over 41 percent from three. And from his Kentucky roster, Calipari brought along DJ Wagner (9.9 ppg), Adou Thiero (7.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg), and Zvonimir Ivisic (5.5 ppg) with him to Arkansas. And Jonas Aidoo (11.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg) from Tennessee rounded out the transfer class. Calipari finished off the roster by signing the No. 3 recruiting class, according to 247sports. 

It’s difficult to project exactly what this team will look like. The offense has a solid piece to build around in Davis, but the Razorbacks will need Wagner to take a big step forward to lessen the workload for Davis. Also, the talented freshmen on the roster will need to contribute right away. 

Defensively Arkansas has one of the top defenders in the conference. At Tennessee Aidoo was a great interior defender and rim protector, averaging nearly two blocks per game. And Trevon Brazile is a talented shot blocker in his own right, he averaged just over one block per game during his junior season.

During his 32-year coaching career, Calipari has only missed the NCAA Tournament a handful of times. And most of his Kentucky career has prepared him for this moment. Coach Cal perfected the one-and-done model at Kentucky so heavy roster turnover usually isn’t a concern for him. It’s not crazy to expect more of the same at Arkansas, especially with the talent he has this season. The ceiling is high for this Razorbacks team as long as all the pieces mesh, fans should expect Arkansas to win a lot of games this year.