By the time Arkansas opens the season against UA-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, Nov. 3, John Calipari probably already has his first five mapped out. The real puzzle is what happens after that.
The lineup Calipari has leaned on all offseason - Jordan Smith Jr., Jeremiah Wilkinson, Billy Richmond III, Miikka Muurinen and Cooper Bowser - appears ready to stay intact when the Razorbacks tip off in five days. But the deeper story coming out of the exhibition stretch is that Arkansas looks loaded enough to create a minutes crunch almost everywhere.
That was on display in wins over No. 15 Gonzaga and Memphis, where the second unit made a loud case for more work.
Davion Thompson scored in double figures in each of his first two games, and JJ Andrews brought physicality and relentless effort every time he hit the floor. The problem for Calipari is obvious: it’s hard to pull Wilkinson or Richmond off the court when their experience and all-around value still matter so much.
The backcourt has been especially crowded. Smith, the reigning Gatorade High School National Player of the Year, had one of those nights that reminded everyone how much talent is packed into this roster, going 0-for-9 from the floor and finishing with just one point. And yet Arkansas still found answers.
Thompson, a 17-year-old freshman who should still be in high school, came in and changed the game with a three and a string of impactful plays that helped ignite an 18-0 run. On another night, when Wilkinson started slowly, Abdou Toure and Andrews combined for 13 points, four assists and three rebounds.
That kind of flexibility is exactly what Calipari keeps pointing to. He may end up having to make these decisions game by game, leaning into matchups and whichever combinations are rolling. One of the clearest examples came against Gonzaga, when Thompson, Toure and Andrews teamed up during a second-half stretch that produced nine straight defensive stops and helped Arkansas build a game-high 11-point lead on the way to a major home win.
The frontcourt brings its own set of questions, starting with Muurinen and Bowser. Muurinen was expected to be a starter as a stretch-four with matchup-breaking ability, but Maper Maker has made enough of an impression to earn extended minutes. His value comes from defense, powered by a near 7-foot-7 wingspan, and his role is growing fast enough to force Calipari’s hand.
Bowser has been one of the bigger revelations of the exhibition slate. The former Furman transfer was arguably Arkansas’ biggest surprise against Gonzaga, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds and a team-best plus-12 in the 76-72 win.
He had been mostly quiet earlier in the week in the Bahamas, but the 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward has since shown he can rebound, defend and finish around the basket. Calipari believes confidence was the missing piece.
Bowser may not live in double figures as a scorer, but Arkansas can clearly count on him in the other areas that matter.
Maker, too, has forced his way into the conversation. He didn’t register on the stat sheet against Gonzaga, but he followed that with seven points, five rebounds and one steal in more than 21 minutes against Memphis. Calipari said he trusts him to handle either frontcourt spot when called upon.
“Maper [Maker] gives everything he can," Calipari said following the victory over Memphis. "I’m comfortable playing him at the 5 and 4.”
If the early projection holds, Arkansas’ minutes distribution could look like this: Jordan Smith Jr. at 29, Billy Richmond III at 28, Jeremiah Wilkinson at 25, Miikka Muurinen at 25, Cooper Bowser at 21, JJ Andrews at 18, Davion Thompson at 17, Abdou Toure at 17, Maper Maker at 11 and Caleb Ourigou at 10. That adds up to 200 minutes for a roster Calipari believes has more than enough mouths to feed.
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