Three Things Arkansas Must Fix In Exhibition Vs Memphis

FAYETTEVILLE – As much promise as Arkansas showed in its 76-72 exhibition win over Gonzaga on Saturday, there are plenty of things for the Hogs to clean up.

The Razorbacks will host Memphis, which beat Mississippi State 75-58 in Starkville on Friday, on Wednesday in their second and final exhibition game before opening the season against UAPB on Nov. 3.

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Here are three things the Hogs must fix against the Tigers to avoid giving Memphis a second road win over an SEC team in exhibition play.

Free throw shooting

It may have gone relatively unnoticed because Arkansas made enough plays down the stretch to win the game, but the Razorbacks were atrocious at the foul line on Saturday.

Arkansas shot 17-30 (56.7 percent) from the charity stripe. Had they made even just three or four more, Saturday’s game wouldn’t have been nearly as stressful in the closing minutes.

Oct 24, 2026; Fayetteville, AK, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Miikka Muurinen (3) shoots a free throw during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Miikka Muurinen made one of his three foul shots, Billy Richmond went 6-10, JJ Andrews went 2-4 and Maper Maker went 1-3. Even Jordan Smith Jr., who didn’t make a field goal on Saturday, split his two attempts from the line.

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Davion Thompson (2-2) was the only Razorback who was perfect from the line, while Abdou Toure went 3-4.

Arkansas did an excellent job of drawing fouls, but if you can’t convert at the free throw line, especially in the waning moments of close games, simply getting to the line does little good.

Finishing at the rim

If you were told that Arkansas shot 5-16 in a particular category on Saturday, you’d expect said category to be three-point shooting.

But the Razorbacks went only 5-16 on layups and struggled to finish in the paint all afternoon. (For what it’s worth, UA shot an impressive 11-24 (45.8 percent) from beyond the arc.)

Oct 24, 2026;…

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Publish date : 2026-10-25 18:32:00

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