Category: Arkansas basketball

Hogs hoops picked third in SEC, Devo Davis named All-SEC second team

Arkansas basketball picked about where everyone figured, third in the SEC.

Arkansas basketball was the third highest ranked SEC team when the Associated Press basketball poll was released Monday, so when the SEC predictions were released Tuesday, the slotting was familiar.

Media members across the SEC released the predicted order of finish and the league’s preseason all-conference selections on Tuesday. Arkansas found itself in third, behind projected league winner Kentucky and last year’s league champ, Alabama.

Following the Hogs were Tennessee, Auburn, LSU and Florida. Kentucky was ranked highest in the AP Poll at No. 10 and Alabama was No. 14, two slots ahead of Arkansas. Tennessee and Auburn were also ranked in the Top 25.

Arkansas guard Davonte “Devo” Davis was the only Razorbacks player picked on the league’s all-conference teams. Davis, a slashing and defending combo guard, averaged 8.4 points per game in 17 starts and 30 games last year for the Razorbacks.

Vanderbilt’s Scottie Pippen Jr. was named Preseason Player of the Year.

The Razorbacks finished second in the SEC during the regular season last year going 13-4 in league play. Arkansas fell in the conference tournament semifinals to LSU, but then made it further in the NCAA Tournament than any other SEC team, finishing in the Elite Eight with a loss to Baylor.

Arkansas opens its regular season November 9 at Bud Walton Arena against Mercer.

Arkansas garners preseason ranking for first time since 2007-08

Arkansas found itself in the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday morning when it was released.

For the first time in nearly 14 years, Arkansas basketball will begin the season in the Associated Press Top 25.

The poll was released Monday morning and the Razorbacks were slotted 16th.

The ranking is the first since the 2007-08 season, which was John Pelphrey’s first at the helm after taking over for the fired Stan Heath.

Arkansas is coming off a 25-7 season a year ago, which culminated in an Elite Eight appearance, the first for the program since 1995.

The Razorbacks also finished second to Alabama in the SEC and will be looking for their first conference title in basketball since the aforementioned 1994-95 season.

Other SEC teams in the poll include Kentucky at 10th, Alabama at 14th, Tennessee at 18th and Auburn at 22nd.

Arkansas has an exhibition game this Sunday and another the following week before opening the regular season Nov. 9 against Mercer.

Hogs basketball checks in at No. 15 in the preseason KenPom rankings

Arkansas basketball finds itself at No. 15 in the most important rankings of the college hoops season.

The official Top 25 for college basketball won’t be released for several more days. But to insiders of the game, the KenPom rankings hold more weight.

Ken Pomeroy, the college basketball analyst and statistician, released his preseason rankings of 358 teams based for the 2021-22 season on Sunday. Arkansas found itself at No. 15.

The Razorbacks are the second highest rated team in the SEC after Tennessee at No. 13. Other SEC teams in the Top 30 include Kentucky at 17, Alabama at 19, Florida at 25 and Auburn at 28.

Arkansas plays Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Kentucky once apiece this year and gets Tennessee twice during SEC play. It’s a very favorite schedule for the Razorbacks, who finished second in the conference last year with a 25-7 and 13-4 record. No team in the league went further into the NCAA Tournament than the Hogs, who made the Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion Baylor.

Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas and Baylor were the top four teams in the KenPom rankings.

Coach Eric Musselman and the Hogs played in the Red-White scrimmage at Barnhill Arena on Sunday afternoon, giving the public its first look at the team this season.

Arkansas basketball has No. 2 recruiting class in the country

Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman has the Razorbacks back as one of the absolute teams in the nation.

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Eric Musselman has done it again.

The Arkansas basketball coach last season led Arkansas to its best season in 25 years. When the Top 25 rankings come out for 2021-22 later this fall, the Hogs will almost assuredly be in. CBS Sports already has Musselman’s team at No. 17 in their ranking of every team in Division I.

But it doesn’t appear to be stopping there.

Five-star wing Jordan Walsh, the No. 27 recruit in the Class of 2022, committed to play for Arkansas on Thursday night. He joins fellow 5-star and No. 9 recruit Nick Smith (Little Rock) and three four-star recruits in Derrian Ford, Barry Dunning and Joseph Pinion, all top 100 players, too.

With such highly-rated players, 247Sports has Arkansas’ class as the second best in the country, trailing only Duke with its three five-star recruits.

Muss, as he’s affectionately known in Razorbacks Nation, appears to have the Hogs back in the spot they were in throughout the early and mid 1990s: Arkansas is officially a powerhouse.

Arkansas deserves it in the sport. While football may be mid-pack in the SEC, there is no reason the Razorbacks can’t be, at worst, the second best team in the league, year-in and year-out.

Bud Walton Arena remains one of the best places in the country to watch a college basketball game. The fans, you fans, show no matter who the Hogs are playing. Even in the slightly above-average years of Mike Anderson, these Razorbacks made noise.

But now? Now the Muss bus is rolling and I don’t think it has any brakes.

UPDATE: 5-star Walsh commits to Arkansas

No. 7 player in the class of 2022, Jordan Walsh, announced his commitment to Arkansas on Thursday evening.

5-star wing Jordan Walsh, the No. 7 player in the Class of 2022, has pledged to the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Walsh, who recently transferred to Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo., is the second 5-star player to commit to Arkansas in this class.

The class likely cements the Razorbacks in the top five, and might flirt with the top class in the country when all is said and done.

Arkansas has also secured commitments from Nick Smith, Jr., Derrian Ford, Joseph Pinion and Barry Dunning.

Arkansas lands 5-star Smith Jr. late Wednesday

Nick Smith Jr. is staying home with the Razorbacks after a highly awaited decision was finally made on Wednesday in Little Rock.

Nick Smith, Jr., a 5-star prospect and the No. 6 player in the class of 2022 nationally, committed to Arkansas on Wednesday in front of friends, family and his teammates in Little Rock.

Smith Jr. is the highest-ranked player to ever pledge to the Razorbacks in the recruiting rankings era, which dates back to 2002.

He chose Arkansas over Alabama, Auburn and the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

After starring at Sylvan Hills High School, he elected to transfer to North Little Rock for his upcoming senior year.

Smith Jr. joins a class that now ranks third nationally behind Duke and Ohio State and just ahead of Kentucky and North Carolina, according to 247 Sports.

Other members of the class include Morrilton’s Joseph Pinion and Magnolia’s Derrian Ford, along with Alabama native Barry Dunning.

It is safe to say the coaching staff at Arkansas was elated about the commitment, based on the social media reaction following his announcement.

Smith Jr. is the most decorated in-state prospect to choose the Hogs since Corliss Williamson stayed home in 1992. He is also the highest-rated prospect to commit since Bobby Portis in 2013.

 

Arkansas hoping to secure commitment of Smith later today

Nick Smith Jr. is announcing his college decision later today in Little Rock. Eric Musselman and staff are hoping he puts on a Hog hat.

5-star guard Nick Smith, Jr. is finally making his college decision today.

The Sherwood native, who climbed to No. 6 in ESPN’s recruiting rankings for the class of 2022, would be the highest-ranked player to ever commit to Arkansas and the most heralded since Corliss Williamson in 1992.

Smith will be making his decision in front of family and friends at 7 p.m. this evening.

Smith would join an in-state class of Morrilton 4-star small forward Joseph Pinion and Magnolia 4-star combo guard Derrian Ford.

4-star forward Barry Dunning of Mobile, Ala. is also in the class.

Eric Musselman and his staff are also hoping to secure the commitment of 5-star forward Jordan Walsh, who recently transferred to Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo., just a two-hour drive from campus.