Tag: Arkansas Razorbacks

What teams have contacted Sean Stewart in the transfer portal?

Sean Stewart, the former four-star prospect who announced his intent to transfer from Duke, has heard from a litany of SEC, Big Ten, and ACC schools in the portal thus far.

Former Duke forward Sean Stewart, a former four-star prospect from the Class of 2023, announced his intention to transfer from Duke on Friday. It hasn’t taken him long to collect a laundry list of suitors.

According to a Saturday report from League Ready’s Sam Kayser, Stewart heard from 23 teams in his first day on the market.

The two most notable conferences in play for Stewart are the SEC and the Big Ten. The Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Vanderbilt Commodores all appeared on the list.

Former Kentucky coach John Calipari, now the coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, also appeared interested in the 6-foot-9 forward, as did the Wildcats, now coached by former BYU leader Mark Pope.

On the Big Ten side, the two biggest names in the conference both appear to be in play. Michigan and Ohio State have both reached out to Stewart, according to Kayser, as have the Indiana Hoosiers.

Some in-conference rivals have extended an olive branch as well. Florida State and Miami both reached out, as did future conference members California and Stanford.

Check out the full list of potential suitors below.

Stewart averaged 2.6 points and 3.2 rebounds as a freshman despite playing just 8.4 minutes per game.

John Calipari’s Arkansas coaching staff adds big name

Arkansas Basketball News: Former John Calipari assistant coach Kenny Payne is rejoining his former boss in Fayetteville.

Arkansas coach John Calipari has added a big name to his list of assistant coaches.

Former Calipari assistant Kenny Payne will join the Razorbacks’ coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.

Arkansas confirmed the news via an announcement posted to the team’s official social media accounts late Thursday.

The 57-year-old Payne was a Calipari assistant at Kentucky for 11 seasons, including 2012 when the Wildcats defeated Kansas to win the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky reached the Final Four in four out of five seasons between 2011-15 when Payne was an assistant in Lexington. He became the top assistant on Calipari’s staff, working his way up to the title of associate head coach before a two-year foray into the NBA as an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s New York Knicks staff from 2020-22.

Most recently, Payne spent two tumultuous years as head coach at Louisville. He was fired in March after going 12-52 in two seasons and winning only five ACC games.

Payne is the first official staff hire since Calipari was introduced as Arkansas’ head coach last week.

Where Arkansas ranks in new Field of 64 projections

Arkansas Baseball: the Arkansas Razorbacks are high atop the latest Field of 64 projections from D1Baseball.

Coach Dave Van Horn’s Arkansas baseball team is having arguably the best season of any team in the country.

The Diamond Hogs are 32-5 overall after their midweek sweep of Texas Tech and recently spent five weeks at No. 1 before dropping their first series of the season last Sunday at No. 14 Alabama. It wasn’t exactly a long fall from the top; Arkansas dropped only one spot to land at No. 2 in every major poll this week.

Because of that, the staff at D1Baseball lists the Razorbacks as the No. 2 national seed and host site in it latest Field of 64 projections for the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.

Arkansas joins Texas A&M, the overall No. 1 seed, followed by Kentucky, Tennessee, Oregon State, Clemson, Duke and Florida State as projected top eight national seeds.

Securing a top eight seed would ensure that Baum-Walker Stadium hosts a Super Regional, provided the Razorbacks advance past the Regional round of the tournament.

In D1Baseball’s projections, the Hogs would host Oklahoma, Lamar, and Arkansas-Little Rock in a Fayetteville Regional.

Arkansas will travel to Columbia to face No. 21 South Carolina for a scheduled three-game series this weekend as conference play continues. First pitch Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

No. 2 Arkansas rallies past Texas Tech for midweek sweep

Arkansas Baseball: The Arkansas Razorbacks mixed timely hitting with clutch pitching and defense to earn a two-game series sweep of Texas Tech Wednesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

One day after a thrilling 9-8 come-from-behind victory that featured a combined 23 hits, No. 2 Arkansas mixed timely hitting with clutch pitching and defense to earn a 5-4 victory over Texas Tech Wednesday at Baum-Walker Stadium.

The Razorbacks (32-5 overall) tallied only four hits in Wednesday’s game but made the most of them.

Arkansas got on the board right away when Peyton Stovall led off the bottom of the first with a 406-foot home run to right off Hudson Parker.

Nolan Souza led off the second inning with a solo shot, a 376-foot blast over the left field bullpen that allowed the Razorbacks to reclaim the lead at 2-1 after Texas Tech had tied it.

The Red Raiders (26-12) grabbed their first lead of the day on a two-run ground-rule double to right field from Kevin Bazzell in the third inning.

Things stayed quiet until the sixth inning when Arkansas reclaimed the lead. Ben McLaughlin singled down the right field line to put runners at the corners with one away for Wehiwa Aloy, who smacked an RBI single to left to tie the game.

Two batters later, Jack Wagner gave the Hogs the lead with an RBI sac fly to deep center, scoring McLaughlin for a 4-3 lead.

In the eighth, Arkansas loaded the bases without a hit off Texas Tech reliever Max Huffling. With two outs, Jayson Jones was hit by a pitch to force in a run to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 5-3.

Stone Hewlett allowed a long two-out solo home run to Cade McGee that trimmed the lead to 5-4 in the ninth. Hewlett then rallied to strike out pitch-hitter Garet Boehm on three pitches to nail down his third save and finish off the two-game series sweep.

Cooper Dossett earned the win in relief for Arkansas with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Dossett (2-0) struck out two and retired eight of the nine batters he faced. Razorbacks pitchers combined for five innings of one-run ball in relief. They surrendered just one hit, McGee’s ninth-inning home run.

Derek Bridges (0-1) suffered the loss in relief for Texas Tech.

Colin Fisher received a no-decision after making his seventh start of the season and his third straight in a midweek game. The freshman left-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in four innings.

NEXT UP

Arkansas travels to South Carolina for a weekend series in SEC play. The Gamecocks are ranked No. 20 in the latest D1Baseball poll. Friday’s first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT and game be seen on SEC Network+.

College Sports Wire lays out five potential landing spots for Duke transfer Jeremy Roach

The four-year Duke starter entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, meaning he could go anywhere for his final season. According to College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton, however, there are a few favorites.

Longtime Duke starter Jeremy Roach, a member of the Final Four run in 2022 and the Elite Eight run this past season, declared for the NBA draft on Tuesday.

However, he also retained eligibility and entered the transfer portal, and the consensus seems to be that he’ll exercise his last year of college basketball with another school. But where?

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an article on Wednesday detailing the five most likely landing spots for the four-year Blue Devil.

Patton first cited an Adam Zagoria report that said St. John’s, Arkansas, and Kentucky were the top options for Roach. The College Sports Wire writer had St. John’s first on his list because of the departures of Nahiem Alleyne and Glenn Taylor Jr., saying head coach Rick Pitino could make waves with Roach’s commitment.

After the Razorbacks and Wildcats, listed second and third in order, Patton had Dan Hurley and the Connecticut Huskies as a fourth potential suitor. The two-time defending national champions will lose Tristen Newton, Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, and more this offseason.

“Roach is the perfect veteran for Hurley to bring into the mix, with his combination of floor spacing and lead guard facilitation a great first addition for the Huskies to build around,” Patton wrote.

Rather than a fifth college team, however, Patton said that the NBA could be a likely suitor for Roach. The College Sports Wire writer believes a good pre-draft process could make the pros a possibility.

“While his age and size may limit his prospects, if he performs well during workouts, he could get a promise from a team as a second-round pick or priority free agent signing,” Patton concluded.

Three schools in the lead for Jeremy Roach’s next home, per report

Jeremy Roach, who announced he would entered the transfer portal on Tuesday, is likely to end up in one of three places according to one report.

Four-year Duke veteran Jeremy Roach announced on Tuesday night that he’d declare for the NBA draft while retaining college eligibility, entering the transfer portal.

The move effectively ensured Roach won’t play in Durham next season, meaning Blue Devils fans will say goodbye to the last remaining player who started for Mike Krzyzewski. But where will the guard go next?

According to a Tuesday night report from basketball reporter Adam Zagoria, the three early favorites for Roach’s next destination are St. John’s, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

St. John’s is now coached by Rick Pitino, who led both Kentucky and Louisville in previous decades. The Red Storm finished with a 20-13 record last season, ranking 21st in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric (the highest of any team left out of the NCAA Tournament).

On the other hand, both Kentucky and Arkansas are going through coaching changes. Longtime Wildcats head coach John Calipari left for the Razorbacks at the conclusion of the season, and Kentucky brought in former BYU coach Mark Pope to replace him.

Former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić to follow John Calipari to Arkansas

Ivisic scored in double figures four times with the Wildcats, including a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks on Feb. 24.

Former Kentucky center Zvonimir Ivišić announced he will join head coach John Calipari and transfer to Arkansas after spending one season with the Wildcats.

Calipari announced on April 9 that he was departing as head coach at Kentucky, ending a 15-year run with the program. He guided the Wildcats to a national championship in 2012 and an overall record of 410-123 during his tenure in Lexington.

The Hall of Famer was named head coach at Arkansas the following day after agreeing to a five-year contract with a salary beginning at $7 million per season. Calipari takes over for Eric Musselman, who took the same position at USC.

Ivišić was the first Wildcat to enter the transfer portal after Mark Pope was hired to succeed Calipari. He was also the first player to follow Calipari to Arkansas.

Ivišić, who was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, played four seasons with SC Derby in Montenegro before committing to Kentucky in August 2023. He was limited to 15 games with the Wildcats after awaiting NCAA clearance to play.

The 7-footer averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 57.7% shooting from the field. He scored in double figures four times, including a season-high 18 points, five rebounds and four blocks on Feb. 24 in a win over Alabama.

Ivišić projects to have the opportunity to log extended minutes next season with the Razorbacks. He is highly touted for his ability to run the floor, pass, protect the paint and spot up from 3-point range after converting 37.5% this past season.

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Zvonimir Ivisic first transfer portal addition for John Calipari at Arkansas

Former Kentucky sophomore big man Zvonimir Ivisic is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

The first big domino of the Kentucky coaching change fell on Monday afternoon when Croatian big man Zvonimir Ivisic announced he is transferring to Arkansas to follow coach John Calipari.

Ivisic entered the transfer portal over the weekend and has now become the first player to leave the Wildcats following the hiring of Mark Pope as head coach, and the first Kentucky player to officially follow Calipari to Fayetteville.

“I made the lifetime decision to come to college for [a] few reasons,” Ivisic wrote on social media. “Main ones to win a national championship and go to the NBA. Monumental part of that decision was coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to coach Cal and Arkansas Razorbacks.”

‘Big Z’ didn’t suit up for Kentucky until January 20 due to NCAA issues, but in his first five minutes of college basketball action the 7’2 big man dropped 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while going 3/3 from the three point line against Georgia.

He never quite found that level of dominance again, finishing his freshman campaign averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks.

It’s no surprise to see Ivisic follow Calipari, who recruited him overseas and tirelessly worked to get him eligible last year. He becomes Cal’s first addition at Arkansas and should play a big role for the Hogs in his second season.

Meanwhile, Kentucky continues to see defections following Calipari’s departure and the hiring of Pope, although the new coach has been active in trying to rebuild a roster that earned a three seed last year before once again losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas quarterback Jacolby Criswell enters transfer portal

Arkansas quarterback Jacolby Criswell to enter NCAA transfer portal after one season in Fayetteville.

One of the SEC’s first big names to enter the transfer portal during the newly opened spring window is Jacolby Criswell, as the Arkansas quarterback officially announced he would be doing so Tuesday morning.

Criswell, who was competing for the Razorbacks starting job this spring, was the backup quarterback for Arkansas last season where he saw limited action behind starter K.J. Jefferson. In that limited action, Criswell posted a 63 CMP% with 143 passing yards and a 3-0 TD-INT ratio, while also rushing for 44 yards on 23 attempts.

Prior to Arkansas, Criswell spent three seasons at North Carolina from 2020-22 where he also saw limited action in a backup role. With the Tar Heels, he posted a combined 58.1 CMP% with 204 passing yards and a 1-1 TD-INT ratio, while also rushing for 133 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts.

Criswell is now the second quarterback from Arkansas to transfer during the 2023-24 offseason, joining the aforementioned Jefferson who went to UCF.

John Calipari officially announced as new Arkansas head coach

The Arkansas Razorbacks have officially named their new head coach.

After news broke a few nights ago that he would be leaving Lexington for Fayetteville, John Calipari has now been officially named the newest head basketball coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Calipari, who comes from the Kentucky Wildcats, replaces former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman, who left Fayetteville for the same position with the USC Trojans earlier this month.

The long-time Kentucky coach has spent the past 15 seasons in Lexington where he held a combined 533-410 record as the head coach of the Wildcats. During that span, Calipari was a multi-time SEC Coach of the Year and won a national championship in 2011-12 season.

However, Calipari has struggled in recent years when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, even despite having made the Big Dance each of the last three years. This has included a pair of round of 64 exits, as well as once in the round of 32.

Calipari is also coming off a 2023-24 season in which he led the Wildcats to a 23-10 record. They were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Oakland.

Looking ahead, Calipari now takes over an Arkansas program that finished this past season at 16-17 overall and 6-12 in SEC play. Arkansas has also made the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years, headlined by Elite Eight appearances in two of those seasons.

Will John Calipari now bring his past success on both the basketball court and recruiting trail to Fayetteville?