After an explosive start to the John Calipari era with a double-digit victory over No. 1 Kansas in its first exhibition game, Arkansas came out somewhat flat in a tough, one-point loss to TCU to close out the preseason.
While there were definitely several takeaways for the team to improve upon, much like last season’s preseason victory over Purdue didn’t mean much for the remainder of the Hogs’ season, neither result holds much weight in terms of how good (or not good) this team is going to be.
It’s certainly worth pointing out that Arkansas was once again without likely starting center Jonas Aidoo, an SEC All-Defensive Team pick and preseason All-SEC selection. One of the things Arkansas struggled the most with against the Horned Frogs was defensive rotations in pick and roll situations, so that will be something to pay attention to once Aidoo returns.
Lucky for Arkansas players, coaches and fans alike, they don’t have to wait much longer to get back in the saddle and avenge their first ‘loss’ together as a team. The Razorbacks will take the court for their first official game action against Lipscomb this week.
This game is scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena and will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus.
What to Expect from Lipscomb Basketball
The Bisons finished last season with a record of 20-12, including 11-5 in conference play – good enough to tie them for second in the A-Sun conference alongside Stetson. From that squad, they return four players who averaged at least 12 minutes per game last season.
This returning continuity was a major reason why they are the preseason favorites to win the A-SUN in 2024-25. Lipscomb held true to form with a win over Duquesne – the same team that eliminated BYU and new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope from last year’s NCAA Tournament – in its season opener on Monday evening.
Most notably amongst these returners is senior guard Will Pruitt. Standing at 6-foot-3, Pruitt averaged 15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for the Bisons a season ago while also shooting over 43% from long range on nearly three attempts per game. He put up nearly those exact numbers in Lipscomb’s narrow 69-66 loss to the Razorbacks at Simmons Bank Arena last year, finishing with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists before fouling out.
His stat line in the opener against Duquesne was almost identical, as well, tallying 15 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Arkansas guards DJ Wagner and Boogie Fland could have their hands full if they let Pruitt get a couple of clean looks from distance. Based on the two exhibitions, Fland appears more than up to the task. “He’s tougher than people give him credit for,” Arkansas basketball assistant Chuck Martin said. “He’s stronger than people give him credit for. He’s got a feel for when to anticipate certain actions on the defensive side of the ball, which allows him from time-to-time shoot the gaps and get a deflection or get a steal.”
Certainly, limiting Pruitt’s open looks at the rim could be a major key to shutting down Lipscomb’s confidence early.
Pruitt is one of two preseason All-ASUN picks for Lipscomb, with the other being Jacob Ognacevic. The 6-foot-8 senior led Lipscomb in scoring two seasons ago as a junior with 17.7 points per game on elite efficiency, hitting nearly 61% of his shots from the field, before missing the entirety of last season due to injury.
In his first game back, Ognacevic lived up to the hype. He poured in 30 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 10 of 18 (56%) from the field and earning 11 attempts to the free throw line where he converted at a 73% clip.
“He causes a lot of problems because of his ability to shoot the three,” Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin said Tuesday. “He can make threes in transition off pick-and-pops, but he’s also a guy that shoots 60% from the field in the low post. So he can shoot it from the outside, he can shoot it from the low post. Not surprised he had the night that he had, because he’s a heck of a player.”
This could be a very intriguing matchup for Zvonimir Ivisic and Trevon Brazile if Jonas Aidoo still can’t go, or is even limited in his overall minutes during his return to action from injury. Both Ivisic and Brazile struggled to provide consistent interior defense against the Horned Frogs in their final preseason exhibition.
Gyasi Powell, a 6-foot-3 guard, is likely to be the most notable transfer for the Bisons this season. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game a season ago at Jacksonville, and contributed 12 points on a perfect 2-of-2 from long range in Lipscomb’s season opener.
Joe Anderson, a 6-foot-0 senior, fills out the backcourt as the next most notable returner from last year. He tallied 8.4 points and 4.4 assists while hitting 40% of his 3-point attempts. That includes an 11-point, 4-steal performance against the Razorbacks. He struggled from long range in his first game this season, but still dished out 8 assists in the victory. Ball pressure will need to be at a premium from the Arkansas guards on Anderson as he initiates offense for the Bisons.
Here are other notable players in the 2024-25 Lipscomb rotation and where they played last season:
- Miles White: 6-foot-3 | Guard | Rockhurst College | 12.6 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 44% 3PT
- Kellan Boylan: 6-foot-7 | Forward | Air Force | 7.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 42% 3PT
- Charlie Williams: 6-foot-10 | Forward | William & Mary | 6.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 37% 3PT
What to Expect from Arkansas Basketball
Adou Thiero was the story of the day for Arkansas in its final exhibition game – and perhaps the only truly positive takeaway from the contest. The former Kentucky transfer stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals while shooting 62% from the field and 50% from long range. Despite the Razorbacks losing by one, he was plus-4 in 37 minutes of action.
“He started to find a rhythm offensively,” Chuck Martin said. “Made some threes, some perimeter shots, got to the rim, made some really good reads. Drive-and-kicks. So his development has been unbelievable from a year ago to today and we’re really excited to see where he can go and what the next step is for him.”
Part of the impressive development is seen in the various ways Thiero was contributing his points. He’s clearly a monster physically, capable of punishing slower defenders on fast breaks and securing offensive rebounds when crashing the glass.
However, it was his ball handling and ability to blow by defenders on the perimeter, as well as finishing a few incredibly difficult layups through contact at the rim that really raised eyebrows. One of the biggest keys for Thiero coming into this season is his ability to improve as an on-ball playmaker offensively.
If he continues to build upon his impressive performance against the Horned Frogs – both against Lipscomb and moving forward – he could easily push into first round consideration of the 2025 NBA Draft.
After a pair of stellar 20-plus point performances against Kansas, Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner combined for only 19 total points on 39% shooting from the field against TCU, including 7 assists compared to 8 turnovers.
How they respond, as a true freshman and returning sophomore, respectively, should say a lot about the mental maturity and leadership on this team. Both played virtually at their floor in terms of potential in this loss, so bouncing back quickly would obviously be huge for the team as a whole – and they have a fairly good opportunity to do so against what should be a much less imposing defense in Lipscomb.
Of course, preseason rankings can’t be taken whole-heartedly – transfers could make a bigger difference than expected, players could make jumps, etc. – but Lipscomb is still only ranked No. 207 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive metric. TCU ranks No. 64 and Kansas ranks No. 10 in this metric when healthy. Arkansas checks in at No. 21, for what it’s worth.
The bigger (literally) question mark for Arkansas in this game is how the forward rotation responds to a lackluster performance against the Horned Frogs. Jonas Aidoo was held out again in this matchup, but he seems on track to return “soon.” Whether or not that means he’ll be ready for Lipscomb is unknown for now.
“He’s getting better,” Martin said Tuesday. “We’re taking it day by day. We’ll have a better feel hopefully by tomorrow morning. But he’s certainly getting better. We’re excited about the possibility of him returning soon.”
Regardless, if he were to be absent again, the Hogs will need much more consistency from both Ivisic and Brazile – on both ends of the court – to remain a competitive, top-15-ish team in the early season while Aidoo gets fully healthy.
Freshman forward Karter Knox has done a fantastic job of not forcing up shots or bad plays during his exhibition minutes. He’s already showing great signs of maturity for being such a young player. However, he has the type of scoring potential that it might be nice for him to take a step forward in terms of aggressiveness as a scorer.
He’s taken only 12 total shots across two exhibitions, scoring 14 total points on 42% shooting from the field. Knox has three-level scoring ability and appears to already have a college-ready frame. It would be interesting to see him find a few mid-post isolation opportunities or look to get his shot off from the perimeter a bit more aggressively.
Of course, it goes without saying that he shouldn’t be overly aggressive to the point of being a detriment to the team, but the TCU game is a great example of other players struggling to score where he could’ve perhaps taken a step forward rather than being quite so passive.
What to Watch in Arkansas vs Lipscomb
John Calipari said before the TCU scrimmage even began that he felt a shift in his team’s practice efforts after their big win over preseason No. 1 Kansas. He noted the team got a bit “arrogant” in practice, and that certainly showed in their overall effort and focus against the Horned Frogs.
This is exactly why teams play exhibition games against at least one higher quality team that can actually push them to find out things about themselves rather than smaller, Division II schools that serve as nothing more than shooting practice.
It’s also helpful that Arkansas perhaps got its arrogance out of the way early before the games started officially counting towards their record. Their focus coming into the season opener against a mid-major that’s clearly in a different talent bracket on paper should tell fans a lot about how ready this team is from a mental standpoint.
Not only is it human nature to get up and be more excited to play bigger, more impressive teams than the smaller, “tune-up” games, it’s worth noting that one of Calipari’s biggest knocks in recent years is his losses to lower seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, the madness of March is a different animal than a home-opener against a mid-major, and numerous teams are upset literally every season – that’s why they call it madness – but it would still be nice to see Calipari and this roster set the tone early that they plan to take every single team seriously, regardless of the names on the front or back of their jerseys.
TCU lined up to be the perfect preseason trap game, sandwiched between a major win and the excitement of the actual season opener. It was also the first non-home environment the true freshmen on the team had experienced at the college level.
Now that it’s behind them, it’s time to show why Arkansas is ranked firmly in the Top 20 to begin the season with nothing but the sky as their limit.
Game Prediction
Arkansas felt the full trap game effects in its final preseason tune up, so John Calipari should have his squad ready to go back in front of an excited Bud Walton Arena crowd.
While the Razorbacks have once again sold out of season tickets, don’t expect a true sellout environment for Calipari’s official debut. In midweek games against mid-major opponents this time of year, the actual attendance is usually a few thousand fans lower because season ticket holders are more likely to show up for SEC games later in the and skip non-conference tilts.
The official attendance for the debut game of Eric Musselman as Arkansas basketball coach, for instance, was 17,274, but far fewer than that actually showed up.
That memory came to Musselman on Monday night after he won in his debut with USC in a 10,000-seat arena with a lot of empty seats. After admitting he could have done a better job of marketing his new team, he added: “Despite what Arkansas thinks, the first couple games we had a half empty building…”
Given how much Musselman elevated the program over the last few years and couple it with the excitement of Calipari’s debut, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the actual crowd Wednesday night pushes 15,000 – or a three-quarter full building – for Arkansas vs Lipscomb.
The home court feeling will get the Hogs back on track offensively as they look impressive once again on that side of the ball. Their defensive rotations should have some slight tweaks with a better overall gameplan than what was shown against the Horned Frogs.
The Hogs take care of business handedly in their first official game of the season.
Arkansas wins, 88-67
More here:
How to Watch Arkansas vs Lipscomb
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 6
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV Schedule: 7 p.m. CT (SECN+ / ESPN+)
Betting Line: Arkansas is a 17.5-point favorite according to Unlimit сasino
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See Musselman’s full quote here:
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Watch Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin’s full interview previewing Arkansas vs Lipscomb:
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Have you forgotten about last year’s close call? Here’s our recap of Arkansas vs Lipscomb from last season:
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