The NBA season tips off Tuesday night, and Arkansas will have a strong footprint across opening-day rosters.
The Razorbacks have 11 players on NBA opening-day rosters, marking the third straight year Arkansas has landed 11 players in the league at the same time. That total puts Arkansas second among SEC programs and makes it one of just 10 schools with double-digit players on opening-day rosters.
The Arkansas group features Darius Acuff Jr. with the Sacramento Kings, Anthony Black with the Orlando Magic, Trevon Brazile with the Denver Nuggets, Daniel Gafford with the Dallas Mavericks, Isaiah Joe with the Detroit Pistons, Moses Moody with the Golden State Warriors, Bobby Portis with the Miami Heat, Meleek Thomas with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jordan Walsh with the Boston Celtics, and Jaylin Williams with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
John Calipari’s reach goes well beyond those 11 Razorbacks. Coach Calipari has 27 players on this season’s opening-day NBA rosters, the most of any active coach by a wide margin.
Mark Few of Gonzaga is next with 12. No college program has as many as 27, and Duke and Kentucky are tied at 26.
Arizona is next with 16.
Those Calipari players are projected to earn $637 million in salaries alone this season, with seven players making more than $40 million.
His 27-player list includes Darius Acuff Jr. with the Kings, Bam Adebayo with the Miami Heat, Devin Booker with the Phoenix Suns, Trevon Brazile with the Nuggets, Anthony Davis with the Washington Wizards, Justin Edwards with the Philadelphia 76ers, De’Aaron Fox with the San Antonio Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tyler Herro with the Milwaukee Bucks, Isaiah Jackson with the Los Angeles Clippers, Keldon Johnson with the Spurs, Trey Lyles with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tyrese Maxey with the 76ers, Malik Monk with the Kings, Jamal Murray with the Nuggets, Immanuel Quickley with the Toronto Raptors, Julius Randle with the Brooklyn Nets, Nick Richards with the Heat, Shaedon Sharpe with the Portland Trail Blazers, Reed Sheppard with the Houston Rockets, Adou Thiero with the Los Angeles Lakers, Meleek Thomas with the Cavaliers, Karl-Anthony Towns with the New York Knicks, Oscar Tshiebwe with the Rockets, Jarred Vanderbilt with the Lakers, Cason Wallace with the Thunder, and PJ Washington with the Dallas Mavericks.
Among SEC schools, Kentucky leads the way with 26 players on opening-day NBA rosters, followed by Arkansas with 11. Texas has 10, while Tennessee, Florida and Alabama each have 8.
Vanderbilt has 7, Auburn, LSU and Texas A&M each have 5, Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia each have 4, and South Carolina has 2. Ole Miss and Mississippi State each have 1.
Calipari and Mark Few will get an early look at their teams when No. 12/13 Arkansas meets No.
15/12 Gonzaga in an exhibition Saturday, Oct. 24, at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m., and the game will air on SEC Network Plus.
Memphis will then visit Bud Walton Arena for another exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. on SECN+.
The exhibition games are not included in the 2026-27 season ticket package.
In Other News...
Arkansas Has A Real Frontcourt Question Under Calipari
Paulo Semedos return gives Arkansas another intriguing piece in the frontcourt mix as the Razorbacks head into a season where interior depth will be worth watching closely. The 7-foot-1 sophomore spent his first year developing through individual workouts after missing his redshirt freshman season because of injury, so this is a fresh start for a player the staff has had to evaluate almost entirely away from game action.
Now Semedo is back in the competition for minutes, and the challenge is straightforward: find a way to carve out a role in a crowded group. For Arkansas, the appeal is obvious if he can help protect the rim and do the work on the boards, but his exact impact is still to be determined as he tries to turn that long runway into production. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas May Have Found An Offensive Answer Fans Werent Expecting
Chris Marshalls exit at halftime could have been the kind of blow that stalls an offense, especially for a team trying to find its footing through the air. Instead, Arkansas adjusted on the fly, and quarterback K.J. Jackson began spreading the ball around more evenly as the Razorbacks searched for the next option to keep drives moving.
Antonio Jordan emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries, and the passing game was only part of the turnaround. Arkansas rushing attack also took a noticeable step forward, helping fuel the best offensive performance of the season and giving the Razorbacks a different-looking answer than the one most fans probably expected heading in. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Has A Chance To Change Everything Against Missouri
A late-season spotlight is coming to Fayetteville, and it arrives with more weight than just a primetime window. Arkansas will host No. 22 Missouri on Oct. 31 in an SEC Network game, giving the Razorbacks their first home night game against an SEC opponent since 2024 and a chance to build on the momentum from their first conference win of the season at Vanderbilt.
For Ryan Silverfield, it is the kind of matchup that can shift the mood around a program in a hurry. Arkansas is still looking for its first home SEC victory since 2024, and with Missouri bringing a ranking into town, the Razorbacks have an opportunity to turn an encouraging result on the road into something much bigger in front of their own fans. [Read more 🡒]