John Calipari didn’t love everything he saw from Arkansas in the Razorbacks’ exhibition win over Gonzaga, and he didn’t try to hide it.
The defense held up well enough, but the offense came with plenty of rough edges in the 76-72 win Saturday. Arkansas missed 13 free throws, finished 5 of 16 on layups and coughed it up 10 times in the first half alone. Calipari put the blame on himself.
“It’s not their fault they look ugly offensively, it’s my fault,” Calipari said postgame. “I’ve got to figure this out and it’s going to take time.”
Even with the sloppiness, Arkansas found its footing late, piecing together an 18-0 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second. The Razorbacks also shot 45% on 24 3-point attempts, enough to get them across the line.
Billy Richmond said the group is still sorting itself out, even after showing flashes against Gonzaga.
“We looked good, but in some moments we looked young, and it shows,” Richmond said on Live with Coach Cal on Monday. “We’re all still learning, still coming together in practice. That's why we’ve got these exhibition games, to be ready for March.”
Now Arkansas gets one more dress rehearsal before the games start counting. The Razorbacks host Memphis at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena in their second and final exhibition, with Arkansas-Pine Bluff waiting in the season opener at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 in Fayetteville.
Memphis already has one exhibition in the books, a 75-58 win over Mississippi State on Friday in Starkville, Mississippi. Jayden Reid led the Tigers with 26 points, and Memphis kept the Bulldogs in check by holding them to 18% shooting from 3-point range. Preseason All-SEC First Team selection Josh Hubbard had a quiet night, finishing with 4 points on 6 shots in 23 minutes.
The Tigers will open the season against No. 18 Iowa State on Nov. 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
“You hold anyone to 58 points in the SEC, you're doing a terrific job," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said on Mornings with Greg and Eli. "I was proud of the guys because they stayed together.
They stayed with the game plan. They carried out everything we needed.
Obviously, we had some things that we need to correct, but for the most part, the top seven played exceptionally well."
This matchup also brings back recent history. Arkansas played Memphis in an exhibition ahead of last season and rolled to a 99-75 win on Oct. 27 at FedEx Forum. The series is dead even overall at 11-11.
Wednesday’s game will also send Memphis back to Bud Walton Arena for the first time since Jan. 2, 2003, when Calipari was coaching the Tigers and Memphis left with a 72-67 win.
“They’re really athletic,” Calipari said on his radio show Monday. “I watched the tape last night. I’m like, ‘Geez, it’s going to be another game that’s going to be a war.’”
That’s the kind of test Arkansas seems to want right now. Richmond said Memphis can help the Razorbacks keep building on what they faced against Gonzaga.
“If we can handle an aggressive team, it would be good for us,” Richmond said. “They're going to play hard. Just handling adversity too at the same time, like we did with Gonzaga.”
Arkansas came into the preseason looking for growth on offense, and that’s a different conversation from a year ago. Last season, the Razorbacks finished seventh in offensive efficiency and 60th in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Against Gonzaga, the defense was strong overall - pick-and-roll issues aside - while the offense lagged behind.
Wednesday gives Arkansas one more chance to sharpen that side of the ball before the real thing begins.
“I'm liking this group, and I'm liking what we're doing,” Calipari said. “We’ve got five months of this.”
In Other News...
Arkansas Still Has One Offensive Problem It Can't Shake
Arkansas has found a little rhythm coming out of halftime, scoring touchdowns on the opening drive of the second half in consecutive games. The opening possession of games, though, has been a different story entirely, and that has remained one of the more frustrating blind spots for an offense trying to build momentum early instead of chasing it.
Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey has pointed to the basics as the fix, stressing the need to cut down on penalties, negative plays and sacks that can derail a drive before it gets started. There was also a notable development up front against Vanderbilt, where backup center Kash Courtney filled in for injured captain Caden Kitler and earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors, even as Kitler stayed listed as the starter on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Gets A Real Opening Against Missouri In A Brutal SEC Test
Missouri comes into its matchup with Arkansas trying to clean up the kind of red-zone problems that can turn a tough SEC stretch into a real grind. Eli Drinkwitz singled out that inefficiency as one of the biggest issues for his team lately, while Ryan Silverfield spent part of the buildup talking through Arkansas injuries and also giving Missouris defense its due.
On the personnel front, the Tigers at least got a useful sign from Ahmad Hardy, who has returned to full practice after dealing with an injury. There still isnt a timetable for when he might be back in a game, which leaves one more layer of uncertainty for Missouri as it tries to steady itself before facing an Arkansas team looking for any opening it can find. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Gets One More Frontcourt Test As Memphis Waits On Key Big Man
Arkansas gets one more chance to sharpen its frontcourt before the games start counting, and the exhibition against Memphis should offer a useful look at how the Razorbacks handle size, length and physical play in the paint. For a team still sorting out its early identity, these tune-up games matter because they expose problems that can be hidden in practice, especially on the glass and around the rim.
Memphis brings its own uncertainty into the matchup, with forward Nemanja Popovic at the center of an NCAA eligibility dispute that could affect his availability when the regular season arrives. He just turned in a strong showing in an exhibition, which only adds to the intrigue for Arkansas as it tries to evaluate its interior defense against a frontcourt that may look different from one week to the next. [Read more 🡒]