Calipari Can’t Wait Until March Again to Solve Razorbacks’ Biggest Question

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Third-year Arkansas coach John Calipari needs to have his team firing at each level of the floor during non-conference play.

Those games may not mean much in the grand scheme of things come time for the NCAA Tournament, but one area that lacked early on each of the past two years in play from the post.

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Whether it was nagging injuries from Jonas Aidoo or a lack of confidence early on, Arkansas could’ve used some more efficiency from its big men in Year One. There were losses to Baylor and Illinois, along with a 1-6 start in SEC play mostly due to inconsistent play outside of a victory over Michigan in Brooklyn.

Outside of Brazile, who could play multiple positions on the floor, the Hogs struggled to find much consistency from either transfer in Malique Ewin or Nick Pringle. Despite each of them being dependable options at their previous schools, they ultimately underwhelmed during their one season on The Hill togeterh.

Arkansas Razorback coach John Calipari at a recent practice this summer. | Nilsen Roman, Hogs on SI

Get The W’s When You Can

There’s never a time when too much improvement can come, but when marquee wins are available to improve seeding, especially early in the season, it’s necessary to look the part of a national title contender early on.

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Since Calipari took over the program two years ago, he holds a 4-5 record against high-major opponents in non-conference play. Arkansas might have back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances under the Naismith Hall of Fame coach, flipping some of those outcomes could have lifted the Razorbacks a seed-line or two.

This winter is no different as Arkansas is set to head out West to play Indiana at Madison Square Garden, Arizona in Phoenix, Michigan State in Detroit, Virginia in Washington D.C., and North Carolina in the Dean Smith Center.

The Razorbacks’ roster is going to be among, if not, the youngest in college basketball but does boast the consensus No. 1 recruiting class nationally. With a…

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Publish date : 2026-08-13 01:32:00

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