NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Arkansans are preparing for an exciting season for the Arkansas Basketball squad. Coach Calipari has put together another freshman class more complete than last year. He ran a thin team last year, best shown in the game against Alabama. Coach Calipari was down to no players after a major foul game and lost to Alabama in overtime. This team has 8 or 9 guys ready to put up 10+ points every game.
Is this team good enough to reach the Final Four? Coach Calipari certainly believes so, and everyone should, too. Preseason AP polls have Arkansas ranked 12th before the season begins. Partly, that’s because the team is young. The team’s average age is around 20, so maturing will be part of the regular-season process. Regardless, this team is stacked with talent and range to reach the final four this year. Let’s dive into some questions before the season begins next week:
What will be the major difference on offense?
This Arkansas Basketball team will play much differently than the 2025 basketball team. Last year, the team relied on offensive density out of Darius Acuff, Maleek Thomas, Billy Richmond, and Trevon Brazile. Darius Acuff’s usage was high, and the team ran iso a lot to let him get to his spot and shoot. Per game, Acuff scored 23.5 points, played 35 minutes, and shot 16.5 times. I don’t believe anyone on this team will come close to those numbers.
Arkansas Basketball played two exhibition games against some worthy opponents in Gonzaga and Memphis. Gonzaga was the first exhibition game, so many players were getting their feet under themselves for the first time of the year. The Memphis game showed what the rotation and ball distribution may look like as the regular season begins. Let’s get two things done at once. Let’s take a look at the roster (with their size) and align it with their stats against Memphis:
Jordan Smith Jr (6’2 210lb) – 7/11 17 points, 2 assists, 1 steal
Miikka Muurinen (7’0 220lb) – 4/7 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals
Billy Richmond III (6’7 205lb) – 7/7 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Davion Thompson (6’2 190lb) – 3/6 13 points, 2/4 3-pt, 2 assists
Jeremiah Wilkinson (6’1 190lb) – 4/15 11 points, 3 steals, 3 assists
Abdou Toure (6’5 215lb ) – 3/9 6 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
JJ Andrews (6’6 235lb) – 2/2 6 points 2/4 3 pt, 2 steals
Cooper Bowser (6’11 230lb) – 3/3 6 points, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Maper Maker (7’0 215lb) – 3/5 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal
More players on this roster will get minutes. Ilia Frolov (7’0 240lb) and Caleb Ourigou (6’11 250lb) are raw players that will grow throughout the regular season. As you can see, 5 players reach 10+ points, and many players contribute. Instead of box-score marvels, Arkansas Basketball wins will come from full-team participation on both ends of the floor.
What will be the biggest difference on defense?
Almost everything. This will be the best defensive team Coach Calipari has put together in his tenure at Arkansas. The 2025 Arkansas Basketball team averaged 7.3 steals a game and 5.1 blocks. In their last two exhibitions, they totaled 20 steals and 10 blocks. Last year, Arkansas Basketball relied on Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle to dominate the paint on both ends of the floor. Now, Calipari has 5 players over 6’11 ready to contribute.
Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway praised Miikka Muurinen after the exhibition game. He stated, “Miikka Muurinen could be the No. 1 overall pick. This dude is ridiculous. So long. So active. When he spreads out, he covers the entire arena. Looking at a Victor Wembanyama type, A Greek Freak type player…” That is a lot of praise for Miikka. This is no disrespect to Trevon Brazile, who has already been exciting in the NBA, but Miikka may be an upgrade.
This defense has shown it can be suffocating in these two exhibition matchups. Jordan Smith Jr. is a point guard with such great athleticism that his goal is not just to score more points than the opposing point guard, but to shut him down completely. He has incredible length, agility, and physicality to stay close to his opponent and fight through screens and traffic to prevent shots. His bounce is off the charts, which will make him the leader in blocks for point guards. Arkansas Basketball could have back-to-back Bob Cousy Award recipients.
Cooper Bowser came over from Furman, and he looks like the center who ties it all together. He has a good foundation in defensive rebounding, and he may lead the team in blocks. The important pieces are the depth behind him. When March Madness arrives, all teams need big centers and power forwards to play gritty in the paint. The 2025 Arkansas Razorbacks have issues with fouls and handling guys who weigh 230 pounds or more. Cooper Bowser plays with physicality at 230 pounds, and his backups or running mates are just as big, if not bigger.
Billy Richmond
Have we not talked about Billy Richmond III yet? Billy Richmond III contemplated the NBA last year, then decided to stay in Arkansas for one more year. All Arkansans rejoiced. The big flag for Richmond entering the NBA was his jump shot. It was very inconsistent last year, and he relied on his high-energy play and getting to the rim. In the two exhibition games, Richmond has shot 11/17 and 5/7 from the 3-point line. Billy Richmond was a 25% 3-point shooter last year, and if he shoots 40% from three, Arkansas could be looking at an SEC player of the year. His leadership and energy on both sides of the floor will show game in and game out, and his stat sheet will have numbers in every category.
What are the concerns?
With a team this young, maturing and growing are always the biggest issues. Coach Calipari had a great quote after the Gonzaga exhibition along the lines of, “You all expect these kids to be 19 and act like they’re 26 all the time. When in reality, they can act like they’re 12.” This team will take time to grow, but Coach Calipari gets his team to buy into his culture year in and year out. So, what are the real concerns?
First, who will be the reliable 3-point shooter when the team is trying to put away the game late in the 2nd half? Before the exhibition games, I thought of Jeremiah Wilkinson. He is a veteran in a young guard room, coming from Georgia, where he was a prolific scorer. Jeremiah Wilkinson shot 1-2 and 1-9 from the 3-point line in the first two exhibition games. Davion Thompson has looked great shooting 50% from 3-point, but he is one of the youngest kids on the team. I have confidence Davion can do it, but other players will need to step up. Who is shooting the best 3-point percentage? Billy Richmond III. It will take time for Richmond to adjust to shooting clutch deep shots late in the game, but if he can, there should be no stopping him.
Secondly, the free throws in the first two exhibition games have been rough. As a team, they are 17/30 and 15/27, shooting 56% from the free-throw line. It is a full-team problem, and they need to improve, because that is a March Madness death sentence. This team is young, so the fix is to get better throughout the season. 10,000 free throws sounds about right.
The Arkansas Basketball team begins their regular season this Tuesday, November 3rd, at Bud Walton Arena. They face a local foe in Arkansas Pine-Bluff, and it should be a matchup they can dominate. Coach Calipari made this schedule difficult to ensure the team is prepared for March Madness. Can Arkansans be hopeful for a deep March Madness run? I believe they are destined to be a top team in this 2026 collegiate season. As always, Go Razorbacks.
