Three questions Arkansas basketball must answer in Memphis exhibition

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball showed promise against Gonzaga.

John Calipari wants to see progress against Memphis.

The Razorbacks host the Tigers in the second and final fall exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 28. It will mark the second consecutive preseason Calipari has coached against his former employer. Arkansas went on the road and rolled to a 24-point victory in 2025.

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This time, Memphis is coming to Fayetteville, and Calipari has a team still searching for its identity on offense. It was clear right from the start of last season that the Hogs would run through Darius Acuff Jr.

Here are three key questions for the Razorbacks when they play Memphis, beginning with Acuff’s replacement.

Can Jordan Smith Jr. bounce back offensively?

It was a nightmare debut for Smith inside Bud Walton Arena against Gonzaga. The 5-star recruit scored one point, went 0 for 9 from the field and 0 for 2 from 3-point range.

Smith was able to fill the box score in other categories, chipping in four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Despite his scoring struggles, the Hogs were plus-1 with him on the floor.

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The season hasn’t even started and Calipari isn’t panicking, but Arkansas needs Smith to be a consistent scorer and a capable point guard this winter.

There should be a bigger focus from the Washington native on scoring in transition. There were opportunities for Smith to attack the basket that he passed up. Getting to the free-throw line would be another way to get his offense going.

What shooting stats tell the real story?

Arkansas was woeful from the field (36.9%) and at the free-throw line (56.7%) against Gonzaga. But from 3-point range, Arkansas went 11 for 24 (45.8%). Billy Richmond III, Davion Thompson, Abdou Toure and JJ Andrews all made multiple attempts from long-range.

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Richmond was unusually inefficient from inside-the-arc, and Smith’s shooting struggles have already been mentioned. As a team, Arkansas only scored 22 points in the paint, meaning…

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Publish date : 2026-10-27 10:03:00

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