This marks the third straight year the Arkansas men’s basketball team will begin the season in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, under Head Coach Eric Musselman.
The Razorbacks will begin the season at No. 14, after starting out 10th in last season’s poll, and 16th in 2021-22, both following NCAA Elite 8 finishes. Arkansas is one of four programs, nationally, to have made it to the last three NCAA Sweet 16s, along with Houston, Gonzaga and UCLA.
Kansas, who was the top-seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament when the Jayhawks were ousted by Arkansas in the second round, opens as the No. 1 team in the country, followed by Duke and Purdue. The Razorbacks will host the Boilermakers in a charity exhibition game on Oct. 28, then host the Blue Devils in a regular-season tilt on Nov. 29.
The SEC has five teams in the poll, most of any conference. Joining Arkansas is No. 9 Tennessee, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 16 Kentucky, and No. 24 Alabama.
This marks the first time since the mid 1990s that Arkansas will begin the season in the preseason Top 25 for at least three consecutive years, dating back to 1993-94 to 1996-97, which included the 1994 National Championship season. It is just the fourth time in program history that the Hogs have achieved that feat, along with stretches from 1988-90 to 1991-92, and 1980-81 to 1984-85.
Arkansas will host the University of Texas-Tyler in an exhibition game this Friday at 6:30 p.m., in Bud Walton Arena. The Hogs will tip off the regular season on Nov. 6, hosting Alcorn State.
Arkansas Basketball comes in at #14 in the AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
Another ranked start for the Hogs under Coach Musselman#WPS đ pic.twitter.com/xFmaB7u6RC
— TorresOnArkansas (@TorresOnTheHogs) October 16, 2023
