FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Three games into the season, Arkansas is already sorting through its most important backcourt question: who should be steering the offense?
John Calipari has plenty of guards to work with, but the Razorbacks’ early results have made the rotation feel less settled than expected. Arkansas is 2-1 after beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Robert Morris around a 91-72 loss to Virginia, and the opening stretch has shown both promise and uncertainty in the backcourt.
Freshman Davion Thompson has become the most intriguing new piece in that mix, especially after his performance against Robert Morris. Thompson put up 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds without a turnover in Arkansas’ 76-53 win, and he did it while hitting both of his 3-point tries and going 5-of-8 overall.
That outing stood in sharp contrast to the one from fellow freshman Jordan Smith Jr.
Smith, a five-star recruit and the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, started his college career with 20 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and then added 19 against Virginia. Against Robert Morris, though, he managed only three points on 1-of-8 shooting. He still contributed five rebounds and two assists in nearly 24 minutes, but the scoring punch was gone.
The two freshmen don’t have to be treated as an either-or proposition, and that’s part of what makes Arkansas interesting right now. Thompson’s performance showed he can handle the ball and create offense.
Smith has already shown he can score in bunches. Calipari now has another chance to figure out how those skills fit together.
Billy Richmond III gives the Razorbacks even more ways to spread the load. The junior led Arkansas with 16 points against Robert Morris and added four rebounds and four assists while shooting 8-of-14. He also spent time at point guard, and Calipari said after the game that he wanted Richmond to get more chances with the ball after the loss to Virginia.
Jeremiah Wilkinson is in the mix too. The junior guard scored 10 points and handed out four assists against Robert Morris, giving Arkansas another experienced option in the backcourt.
That depth matters because Arkansas does not have to rely on one guard to do everything. Smith can work on the ball or away from it.
Thompson has already shown he can facilitate. Richmond can move between roles depending on the matchup.
Wilkinson adds another layer of versatility.
Calipari has made it clear that minutes will be earned, not handed out. After the Robert Morris win, he stressed that players decide their playing time with what they do on the floor. That makes the coming stretch feel like an open competition, especially with several guards capable of making a case.
The numbers from the Robert Morris game back up the idea that this is about more than scoring. Arkansas had 25 assists on 31 made field goals, a major jump from the 10 assists it had against Virginia. The Razorbacks also turned it over 10 times against the Colonials after struggling with ball security in Washington.
Those are the details Calipari has to sort through as he looks for the right blend. Arkansas has enough guards to generate offense, but it needs the right mix to keep the ball moving and avoid mistakes once defenses tighten up.
The next chance to test those combinations comes Friday against Central Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena, followed by a trip to Indiana on Nov. 17.
The sample size is still small, and one rough shooting night doesn’t define a freshman’s role. But Thompson’s rise has given Arkansas another real option, and Smith’s scoring talent still makes him hard to leave out.
Calipari has pieces to work with. Now he has to find the combination that makes the whole thing click.
In Other News...
Arkansas Gets A Timely Boost As South Carolina Faces New Doubt
South Carolinas injury report brought a little more clarity heading into its matchup with Arkansas, but not all of it was encouraging. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers was upgraded to probable after dealing with an ankle injury, while the Gamecocks took a hit elsewhere with wide receiver Nyck Harbor slipping to doubtful. On the Arkansas side, defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes moved from questionable to probable, giving the Razorbacks a timely boost on a front that will need as much depth as it can get.
The rest of the report still leaves both staffs sorting through availability, with several players on each side listed as out or questionable before kickoff. For Arkansas, Rhodes status matters because the Razorbacks are trying to line up as many healthy bodies as possible against a South Carolina group that may have its quarterback back but could be missing one of its more dangerous pass-catching threats. In a game shaped by attrition as much as scheme, the final injury updates could end up carrying real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Football Finally Faces The SEC Spending Reality
University of Arkansas officials used a Board of Trustees meeting to lay out where the Razorbacks stand financially and where they want the football program to go next. President Jay Silveria and athletics director Hunter Yurachek updated trustees on a review of the programs spending, with the goal of getting Arkansas into the top half of SEC spenders and giving the Razorbacks a better chance to compete for the College Football Playoff.
Silveria said the school will move quickly on a financial plan designed to allocate resources more efficiently and strengthen the roster for 2027. For a program trying to keep pace in a league where money often shapes the margin between staying relevant and falling behind, the review signals that Arkansas is treating the spending gap as a football problem as much as a budget one. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Fans Now Face A Strange Isaiah Sealy Limbo
Isaiah Sealys situation has settled into an unusual holding pattern for Arkansas basketball. He is no longer enrolled at the University of Arkansas and is not part of the Razorbacks mens basketball team for the 2026-27 season, even though he is still working through rehab on a knee injury with the schools medical staff. For now, he will not take part in practices or games, leaving the program in a strange spot with a player whose status is still tied to the university, just not to the roster.
The uncertainty around Sealy goes beyond the injury. He was arrested in August and faces several charges, and he has pleaded not guilty, which means the legal side of his case is still unresolved as well. Arkansas is hoping he can rejoin the program full-time next summer, but with his future still unclear, fans are left watching a situation that has no clean answer yet. [Read more 🡒]