Four exhibition games in the Bahamas didn’t tell Arkansas everything about this team, but they did make one thing clear: this group is built differently.
The Razorbacks rolled through the Bahamas National Team, Carleton University, Toros Del Valle and the University of Calgary, and the 160 minutes gave fans their first real glimpse at a 2026-27 roster that could end up being the most talented Arkansas has ever put together.
Razorback Sports Network analyst and former UA assistant coach Matt Zimmerman watched it all up close, and he came away impressed.
"Just so impressed with them," Zimmerman said Friday on the Chuck and Bo Show. "Really not any big surprises from what you saw in practice.
They have scrimmaged and done more five-on-five this year than [head coach John Calipari] did the first two years he was here, and the practices have been so much better. You feel this internal competition to play."
That competition matters because Calipari, who has long preferred a tight 7-8 man rotation, finally has real depth to work with in Fayetteville. There are 11 players, and possibly 12 if Paulo Semedo develops enough to earn minutes, who could end up in the rotation at some point this season. That kind of depth should help Arkansas solve the problem that slowed the program in Calipari’s first two seasons.
"They took that and unleased it on these poor teams over there," Zimmerman said. "It was not the world's best competition."
One player in particular stood out: Jordan Smith Jr. The buzz around him feels real, and he backed it up in the Bahamas, averaging more than 17 points across the four games and posting a triple double against Carleton. That kind of production is only adding to the expectation that he could be a top five pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
Zimmerman compared Smith to Bobby Portis.
"He's a lot like Bobby Portis," Zimmerman said of Smith. "Yes sir, no sir off the court.
He's been an excellent student througout his life. He's really a great kid.
He walks across that line, and he wants to really, really fight you. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, he wants to fight you.
He's always on the verge. He has got a fire and he is incredible."
Arkansas fans won’t have to wait too long for another look. The Razorbacks are set to host Gonzaga and Memphis for exhibitions in October at Bud Walton Arena.
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Willis is drawing attention well beyond Fayetteville, and that is the part that makes Arkansas offer notable this early. The Razorbacks are getting in before the race becomes even more crowded, and in a class with this much national buzz, landing in the conversation now can matter later when the real separation starts to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Still Has One Big Receiving Question Before The Opener
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What Smith would not do was draw a hard line around any one pass-catcher as the clear No. 1 option. That leaves the Razorbacks with a familiar preseason question: who becomes the dependable go-to threat when SEC defenses start dictating matchups and forcing answers? Until that picture sharpens, the room looks deep enough to matter, but still unfinished in the one way that tends to matter most once the schedule gets real. [Read more 🡒]