Billy Richmond III’s name is now on one of college basketball’s early-season national watch lists, and the Arkansas wing has good reason to be there.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that Richmond is one of 20 candidates on the 2027 Julius Erving Award watch list, which honors the top small forward in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. The award is in its 13th year and carries the name of Class of 1993 Hall of Famer Julius Erving, who played 17 seasons in professional basketball.
Richmond arrives on the list with plenty of momentum. He was a preseason All-SEC selection, and he already picked up recognition after participating in the 2026 NBA Draft Combine. Earlier this year, he was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team and College Hoops Today’s All-Glue Team.
His combine numbers stood out, too. Richmond posted the best lane agility drill time at 10.23 seconds and tied Darius Acuff Jr. for the top mark in the 3/4 court sprint at 3.06 seconds.
The Razorbacks wing also carries a milestone chase into the season. Richmond is the only Arkansas player to appear in all 73 games of the John Calipari era, and he is on pace to cross 1,000 career points this season. Andy Katz also named him the ninth-most impactful junior in the country.
Arkansas has three players on Naismith Starting 5 Awards watch lists. Jordan Smith Jr. is on the Bob Cousy Award list for point guards, Jeremiah Wilkinson is on the Jerry West Award list for shooting guards, and Richmond represents the Razorbacks on the Julius Erving Award list.
The full 2027 Julius Erving Award candidate list also includes Amari Allen of Alabama, Ivan Kharchenkov of Arizona, Bruce Branch III of BYU, Dame Sarr of Duke, Thomas Haugh of Florida, Davis Fogle of Gonzaga, Andrej Stojakovic of Illinois, Tyran Stokes of Kansas, Milan Momcilovic of Kentucky, Shelton Henderson of Miami, Coen Carr of Michigan State, Pryce Sandfort of Nebraska, Anthony Thompson of Ohio State, Tounde Yessoufou of St. John’s, Aiden Tobiason of Syracuse, Juke Harris of Tennessee, Nikola Kusturica of UCLA, Colben Landrew of UConn and Amani Hansberry of Virginia Tech.
Arkansas will play its second and final exhibition tonight, Oct. 28, against the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is set for 7 pm, and the game will be carried on SEC Network+.
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 🡒]