3 takeaways from Arkansas basketball’s exhibition win over Memphis

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball finished off an unbeaten preseason in style.

The No. 13 Razorbacks led from start-to-finish in a 93-81 exhibition victory over Memphis on Wednesday, Oct. 28. The Tigers could not cut the deficit to single digits in the second half, and John Calipari got to rest his five starters across the final 6:02 of the game.

Advertisement

Here are three takeaways from the Hogs’ comfortable win over Memphis.

Offensive balance shines again

The offensive star for Arkansas could change on a night-to-night basis. Against Memphis, nine Razorbacks scored at least six points. Maper Maker, who might be the 10th man in the rotation, had seven first-half points.

Billy Richmond III was terrific and showed off his development with a step-back 3 in the first half. That’s a shot he hasn’t taken since he arrived in Fayetteville, but the offseason work has turned the lefty into a capable shooter. He was 7 for 7 overall, 2 for 2 on 3-pointers and had 17 points.

Advertisement

Jordan Smith Jr. matched Richmond with 17 points and bounced back after only scoring one against Gonzaga. Miikka Muurinen had a strong night with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The only blemish for the Arkansas offense was a 28.6% clip from 3-point range.

Hogs played desired style and pace

Arkansas’ defense was disruptive. The Hogs forced 15 turnovers and held Memphis to 45.9% shooting.

All of the stops led to some dynamic offense in transition. Arkansas racked up 26 points off turnovers and 23 fastbreak points. There were breakaway dunks and alley-oops with Richmond, Smith, Muurinen and Abdou Toure all getting in on the action.

Advertisement

The relentless pace led to a 53.7% shooting percentage for the Razorbacks. Defense will be the biggest factor in an efficient offense this season.

Interior defense has some questions

Memphis center Nemanja Popovic finished the night with 16 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. He did damage on the second-chance glass and through simple post-up offense.

The Arkansas big men…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-takeaways-arkansas-basketballs-exhibition-021158835.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-29 02:11:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.