FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas left its exhibition win over Gonzaga with plenty to clean up, but the Razorbacks also walked away with a clear reminder of why there’s real buzz around this roster.
The biggest revelation might have been senior transfer center Cooper Bowser, who looked like a different player than the one many expected before the season. Bowser posted nine points, 10 rebounds, one block and one assist in 20 minutes, going 4-of-6 from the field and finishing as a team-best plus-12 in the No.
12 Razorbacks’ 76-72 win over No. 15 Gonzaga.
“I got no choice. You saw us starting the game.
What couldn't we do? Rebound.
And now all of a sudden we got guys.. Cooper [Bowser]...
I got on him a little bit. He ends up with the double double.
But it appears this this is going to be different players in different games.”
Calipari said he liked how Bowser and the group around him responded after a slow start, especially when he settled on a lineup that produced a defensive surge to open the second half.
“I'm going to start this group, but I may start a different group in the second half,” Calipari said. “And and then the reason I went with the group I went is they finished so strong.
Davion [Thompson], Abdou [Toure], JJ [Andrews], we have Miikka [Muurinen] and Cooper [Bowser]. I said, 'Leave them in.'
They got nine straight stops to start the half.”
Arkansas’ length was one of the most obvious takeaways from the night. The Razorbacks clogged passing lanes, forced turnovers and pushed the ball the other way, and Bowser fit right into that style with a physical presence inside. He missed a pair of early looks, then went 4-of-4 the rest of the way, finishing with a hook shot and three dunks.
He also left the game briefly with what looked like a leg injury, though Calipari later said it was only cramping.
“I don't know if the gym was hot or maybe we're not going as hard as I think we are, but we had like three guys cramp up,” Calipari said. “Like you're thinking they're hurt.
No, they they they cramped. So, we have to figure that out.
I told Matt, our trainer, I said, 'Matt, we got to figure out what happened.'”
One of the night’s most eye-catching plays came from Davion Thompson, the 17-year-old freshman who reclassified and skipped his senior year of high school. In his first real college game, he found himself isolated at the top of the key against fifth-year senior Xavian Lee and drilled a shot as the clock wound down in the second half.
That kind of range, paired with the efficiency he showed, gives Arkansas another dangerous piece to work with no matter who is on the floor.
Jordan Smith Jr., the reigning Gatorade National Player of the Year, had a much quieter shooting night than many would have expected against Gonzaga. He scored one point and went 0-of-9 from the field, but he still influenced the game by helping run the offense. Smith finished with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a plus-2, though he did turn it over twice in the first half.
The Razorbacks also had a hard time finishing around the rim and cashing in at the line. They shot just 5-of-16 on layups, with several attempts spinning off the rim or bouncing awkwardly off the backboard. That missed production could have stretched a four-point edge into a much more comfortable lead.
Gonzaga’s size and physicality inside had plenty to do with that. Braden Huff and Massamba Diop made Arkansas work for every clean look, turning several drives into second and third chances that still didn’t produce points.
“They're big and and you know, um I thought there's times on four or five of our turnovers where he drove into 7-foot,” Calipari said. “He's there.
Don't keep going. I'm going to get this off.
You're not getting it off. It's going to get a block.
“[Gonzaga] ended up with four, but we ended up with six. One of the things I told you, they they cleared us out some.
We got to do some work on that. But in the end of the day, we need to be a transition team.”
Free throws were another issue. Arkansas went 17-of-30 at the line, nearly doubling Gonzaga’s total attempts, but Thompson was the only Razorback who hit every one of his free throws. Richmond made 6-of-10, Muurinen went 1-of-3, Maper Maker was 1-of-3 and Andrews finished 2-of-4.
It was hardly a polished performance, and that may be the most encouraging part for Arkansas. If Calipari can get more consistency at the rim and more production from his prized freshmen, this group has the ingredients to become one of the best in college basketball.
For now, the exhibition win offered a first look at a team with plenty still to sharpen - and a ceiling that already looks pretty high.
In Other News...
Gonzaga's First Exhibition Exposed A Bigger Concern Than The Loss
Gonzagas first exhibition game brought the kind of early-season reminder every team gets sooner or later: the result matters, but the bigger concern can be what the box score doesnt fully explain. Arkansas held off the Bulldogs 76-72 in a game that swung back and forth, and both sides walked away with plenty to clean up. Gonzaga had trouble finding a rhythm from deep, while Arkansas made its living on defensive rebounds and trips to the free-throw line.
The more sobering part for Gonzaga was the absence of Davis Fogle, who sat out with a leg issue and left the Bulldogs without one of the pieces they were counting on. Arkansas coach John Calipari pointed to that missing presence as a major factor in how the game played out, which only sharpened the sense that Gonzagas exhibition opener was about more than a narrow loss. For a team still sorting out its early identity, the injury concern may linger longer than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas Frontcourt Just Got More Dangerous Than Fans Expected
Gonzagas frontcourt outlook took a meaningful turn just before the trip to Fayetteville, when Izan Almansa was confirmed eligible for the upcoming season. The timing mattered, because the Bulldogs have been looking for reliable size and experience to round out their rotation, and Almansa arrives with a chance to give them exactly that as the third big man in the mix.
The early signs were encouraging in the exhibition against Arkansas, where Almansa showed he can affect the game on both ends of the floor. His ability to score inside, clean up the glass and provide rim protection gives Gonzaga another layer in the frontcourt, and it raises the ceiling on a group that already looked sturdy heading into the year. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Few Still Has One Big Gonzaga Problem To Solve
Gonzaga got a first look at its point guard picture in the exhibition against Arkansas, and the early read was mixed at best. Javon Bennett, Xaivian Lee and Nathan de Sousa all saw action in the 76-72 loss, with Lee getting the start as the staff tried to sort out how the backcourt might take shape around a group with very different backgrounds and roles.
The problem, for now, is that the three guards did not provide much offense when the lights came on. Mark Few pointed to the shooting struggles after the game, and Bennett in particular seemed to be working through more than just a rough night, with his availability only being settled shortly before tipoff. Lee stood out most among the trio, but the overall performance left Gonzaga with plenty to clean up before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]