Injuries plagued Arkansas to a new extreme the last time out, but it wasn’t enough to prevent it from beating Pacific. Both Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile remained sidelined after neither appeared in the second half of the Hogs’ victory over Troy in the previous game.
This left the Hogs with only seven rotation players available before both Karter Knox and Billy Richmond had to exit the game due to injuries at one point or another. Knox returned after appearing to jam or dislocate a finger on his non-shooting hand, while Richmond’s could’ve been as simple as a cramp. The latter happened late enough that his services were not needed again to close out the game.
This scenario is exactly why some have been critical of Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari’s strategy to take only nine high-level rotation players this season and fill out the end of the bench with players who are essentially a step above walk-ons.
Not only did the Hogs see two additional players temporarily ride the pine with injuries, but they also played a stretch in the second half without arguably their two best players: Adou Thiero and Boogie Fland committed three fouls apiece.
However, despite all of this, it’s worth noting that if there was ever a time to allow players some extra time and rest to get healthy, this is it. Pacific is ranked No. 259 in KenPom, while in-state foe Little Rock clocks in at no. 231.
The Trojans are 3-2 on the young season, including a convincing 71-57 win on Wednesday night on the road against Tulsa – a game in which they trailed by 5 at halftime before out-scoring the Golden Hurricane 51-32 in the second half. They’ve already played games against two other in-state opponents, beating Arkansas Baptist by 20 before losing to Arkansas State 80-63, a game in which a quarter of the Red Wolves’ points came from former Hogs Joseph Pinion and Derrian Ford.
The Arkansas vs Little Rock game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. CT on Friday at Bud Walton Arena. It will be televised on SEC Network.
Crowds have been sparse so far this year, but with it being played on a Friday night before a home football game, the Razorbacks will likely have their best attendance since the Kansas exhibition. Included among that crowd will be Corliss Williamson, the Arkansas great who will be there to support his son, a sophomore forward for the Trojans (more on that below).
What to Expect from Little Rock Basketball
The Trojans begin this season without their top six scorers from a season ago, including two former Razorbacks. Khalen “KK” Robinson is still on the roster, though he’s “out indefinitely” with a knee injury and has not yet suited up this season. The other former Hog was Makhel Mitchell, who exhausted his eligibility last season.
Losing Robinson was particularly tough for Little Rock, as he was likely a preseason favorite to win OVC Player of the Year and a big reason the Trojans were picked to win the league.
Instead, the Trojans’ most notable returning player is Jordan Jefferson, a 6-foot-2 guard who averaged just over 6 points per game last season. He’s picked up the production so far this season, tallying 10.0 points and 1.3 steals per game, though he missed Little Rock’s game against UTSA on Nov. 16 before returning to action against Tulsa on Wednesday night.
Mwani Wilkinson – an LSU transfer – leads Little Rock in scoring and rebounding so far this season with 17.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game on 55% shooting from the field. He’s also 11 of 22 (50%) from beyond the arc.
The 6-foot-5 forward has played against Arkansas nine times in his career, averaging only 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. On relatively low volume, Wilkinson has hit 60% of his long range attempts against the Hogs, including going 2 of 5 in an SEC Tournament game in which Arkansas purposefully planned to leave him open.
He also faced Kentucky, though he totaled only 10 total points across the five matchups with former Calipari-led teams. Wilkinson is essentially the Trojans’ small forward, so it will be interesting to monitor whether he draws Johnell Davis or DJ Wagner for his assignment on both sides of the ball given that he’s listed at 6-foot-5, 215 pounds. Davis and Wagner are each listed at 6-foot-4 and under 210 pounds.
Wilkinson also leads the team with a notable 2.6 steals to go along with 1.8 blocks per game. Whom he guards and how the Hogs are able to scheme around his defensive effectiveness could be big storylines in this game, especially if Arkansas can’t maintain its recent hot shooting.
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LIVE UPDATES: Arkansas vs Little Rock: Ex-Hog’s Lil Bro Is Big Dangerous
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Brother of Former Long-Armed Hog
Jonathan Lawson – the brother of former Razorback Chandler Lawson – made the Trojans his third team in three collegiate seasons after stops at both Memphis and Creighton. Although he doesn’t have the jaw-droppingly long arms of Chandler, his fingerprints are still all across the box score. Lawson is second on the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game – including 23 in his last outing against Tulsa. He will likely draw the matchup of whichever off-guard doesn’t take on Wilkinson.
Ante Beljan (6-foot-8) and Tuongthach Gatkek (6-foot-9) make up the Trojans’ starting frontcourt. They average 10.8 and 6.4 points, respectively, and both grab roughly four rebounds per game. The most important factor to watch with these two is how efficient they are inside the paint. They’ve combined to shoot 33-of-57 (58%) from the field this season, and neither have attempted a 3-pointer.
At surface level, this may not seem like an issue for the Hogs who average 6.3 blocks per game and have shown they’re a stellar defensive team despite offensive lapses or injuries, but it’s important to remember that Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo missed the last game due to injury. Even if either or both suit up for this contest, it’s reasonable to expect them to be limited participants.
If Arkansas is able to command the paint on both ends of the court, this contest shouldn’t be remotely close, but this is certainly an area the Trojans could capitalize on if the Hogs are once again shorthanded in the frontcourt.
The final player in the Trojans’ core rotation in terms of minutes per game is Creed Williamson, the son of Razorback legend Corliss Williamson. The Little Rock native opted to stick around close to home last year, in which he averaged roughly 10 minutes per game across 29 games.
He’s upped his production slightly this year, logging over 14 minutes per game and increasing his scoring by an entire point per game, including an efficient 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against Arkansas State earlier this season. It’s worth noting, though, that Williamson missed Wednesday’s game with an injury.
Williamson’s father is now an assistant for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA and is in Toronto for a game Thursday night. He’s expected to fly into Fayetteville for the game on Friday, though.
Despite having a job that prevents him from making it to very many games, the elder Williamson still very much loves the Razorbacks. His No. 34 is one of only two numbers retired by the program and he was even part of a promotional video produced by the UA this offseason. That all goes out the window Friday, though.
For the first time, Williamson will cheer for another team in Bud Walton Arena.
“I’m going to feel a range of emotions,” Corliss Williamson told Nate Olson of the LR athletics staff. “First, I am going to feel a little nervous because I want my son to do well and not feel the pressure and just go out and enjoy himself and have fun.”
“On the other side, it is my alma mater, and I am going to be inside Bud Walton Arena cheering for a different team. You have to protect your house and family and support them. I will be doing that and rooting for him [and Little Rock]. I’m going to root [for Arkansas] 364 days a year, but I can’t do it Friday night. I hope the fans understand.”
What to Expect from Arkansas Basketball
No doubt, plenty of fans will get that.
They also understand that their team might have turned a corner when it comes to accuracy from the outside. The Hogs have finally started to show some of their true offensive potential over the last two games after starting the season – and two preseason exhibitions – with rocky shooting percentages. Against Troy and Pacific, Arkansas has made 19 of 44 attempts from long range, making them 43% over this stretch, but still only 34% on the season.
Zvonimir Ivisic, specifically, has stepped up his production in a major way over the last two games, totaling 34 points and 8 blocked shots while shooting 67% from 3-point range. He’s always been good at capitalizing against inferior opponents – as he will likely do again against Little Rock – but his value over the course of the season will be determined by how well he’s able to translate that production to bigger games.
This includes staying on the court in those games by not being a defensive liability on the perimeter like he was at times against Baylor’s high pick-and-roll. He also can’t commit seven turnovers again, like he did against Pacific.
“He’s got to be better, and we’re not going to stand for or accept mediocrity from him,” Chin Coleman said Thursday. “He’s got to be better. I talked about him being consistent. You’ve got to be an everyday guy.”
Adou Thiero has been arguably Arkansas’ best player this season and is likely working his way into the first round on most 2025 NBA Draft boards with his stellar start to the season. He’s averaging 22.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 65% from the field and 40% from distance over his last three games.
What truly separates stars from the pack is the ability to consistently produce at a high level, and that’s what is expected at this point of Thiero on Friday night as well the meat of the Hogs’ non-conference schedule with games against Illinois, Michigan and Miami still looming ahead.
“Nothing he’s doing is surprising to us,” Coleman said. “We are fully aware of his skillset and how he can impact the basketball game. He, in my opinion, could be one of the most impactful players in college basketball because of what he does on both sides of the ball – what he does defensively (and) him being hard to guard on the offensive side.”
Boogie Fland has also been a pillar of consistency form the Hogs in terms of his overall output each game, and this matchup against the Trojans – who rank No. 220 in adjusted defensive efficiency – should be no different. The freshman phenom is now connecting from long range at a 40% clip on the season on his way to 16.5 points per game, including 20 in his last outing.
The main player to watch – aside from the obvious guys trying to return to action from their injuries – is Johnell Davis. He was easily the highest touted transfer coming into Arkansas this offseason, and one of the best transfers overall in the portal, but he hasn’t flexed much of his scoring ability yet this season.
He dealt with a wrist injury to his shooting hand for a vast majority of the offseason and is clearly still trying to find his shooting rhythm again, averaging only 9.5 points per game – though it was encouraging to see him go 2 of 3 from long range against Pacific. Perhaps this game could be the turning point for him to become the offensive weapon Arkansas coaches need and expect him to be. He has a great chance in front of him with the Trojans missing KK Robinson to continue to hone in on his offensive rhythm.
What to Watch in Arkansas vs Little Rock
A major area of potential improvement Arkansas saw against Pacific compared to its first three games was at the charity stripe. The Razorbacks currently rank No. 314 in the nation in free throws attempted per game at 15.8 despite generating 25 attempts in their last matchup. Of course, it was a welcome sight for the Hogs to attack the rim and draw fouls as often as they did against the Tigers, especially considering their short-handed rotation.
Little Rock, on the other hand, is currently averaging 20.2 fouls per game and allowing their opponents to shoot 28.6 free throw attempts per game, bad enough to rank them No. 355 in the country in free throws allowed per game.
Whether or not the Hogs get their full rotation back, it will be important for them to not take this game lightly and start settling for outside shots early. If they attack the paint early and often, not only are they likely to get a season-high in free throw attempts, getting the Trojans into foul trouble could help put this game away quicker than anything else would.
Settling for 3s against a theoretically lesser opponent such as Little Rock likely wouldn’t cause Arkansas to lose the game regardless, but it also doesn’t help them in the long run either. Rather, the team needs to continue to work inside and out, run through their offensive sets, and stay aggressive in the paint when the opportunity is there.
Game Prediction
Not including preseason exhibitions, the Hogs have faced the Trojans exactly one time in program history. Arkansas won that December 2021 tilt by a score of 93-78 in Bud Walton Arena.
Little Rock has a solid squad this season, especially if they’re ever able to get KK Robinson back on the court, but the talent disparity between the two programs should be on full display in this one. Neither of the injured Razorback big men are expected to play big minutes, if at all, so Big Z will turn in another big performance on the stat sheet.
The rest of the guards and wings will have a prime opportunity to see the ball go through the hoop a few times, whether that comes from free throw attempts or hitting a few open jumpers. Even against a mid-major opponent, putting the ball through the basket in a real game can build confidence for players faster than anything else – which is exactly what Arkansas will be looking to do here.
Arkansas wins, 89-64.
How to Watch Arkansas vs Little Rock
Date: Friday, Nov. 22
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV Schedule: 8 p.m. CT (SEC Network / ESPN App)
ESPN BPI: Arkansas has a 95.6% chance to win and is favored by 19.2 points.
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Corliss Williamson’s promotional piece for the UA:
Watch the full interview with assistant Chin Coleman previewing the Arkansas vs Little Rock game:
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More on the recruitment of Creed Williamson here:
