Arkansas Razorbacks NCAA Basketball Betting
Arkansas’s new leader is John Calipari, a name all too familiar to the Razorbacks and college basketball fans nationwide. For decades, Calipari has been a dynamic recruiter and talent developer, sending a myriad of players to the NBA. He won a national championship just over a decade ago at Kentucky and left the Wildcats this offseason, instead inheriting one of their SEC rivals.
There’s no question that last season did not go according to plan at Arkansas but the past is certainly staying in the past. Eric Musselman had done wonders in previous years with the Razorbacks but chose to leave, returning to his West Coast roots as USC’s next head coach. Coming off that disappointing 16-17 finish, the Razorbacks certainly didn’t stick their head in the sand in finding his replacement.
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This program won eight NCAA Tournament games in the previous three years under Musselman before last season’s decline. Calipari is not inheriting anything broken, though the actual roster itself will look mighty different in his first season in Fayetteville. With the current fabric of college basketball, it’s not a surprise to see almost a complete turnover of the Razorbacks’ roster. Still, Calipari and his staff have certainly been busy plugging all the holes.
The focus isn’t on the past but on what Calipari brings in the year ahead. We’re going to look closely at the faces on this new-look roster as the Razorbacks try to compete for SEC supremacy yet again. We’ll conclude with a look at their games ahead as well as presenting a few overarching comments about this Razorbacks team and what we can expect this season. Could it be a breakout campaign in Calipari’s debut year?
So much has changed from where this program sat, even six or seven months ago, that it’s unfair to even think about last year’s struggles. Brazile is the only returning player from that team that should play meaningful minutes and it’s clear that a lot is different moving forward.
Calipari’s strategies and tactics grew stale in Lexington in recent years, but the Razorbacks are hoping he can rejuvenate himself at the tail end of his coaching career. You won’t see a plethora of 5-stars with that short list of young talent coming to Fayetteville. The way to win in college basketball may no longer lean on raw freshman talent and perhaps Calipari knows this.
The Razorbacks landed two of the very best available players from the Transfer Portal and will have plenty of talent on this team. Davis has only continued to grow as a backcourt weapon and pairs nicely with Wagner in leading the charge for this team. What those two bring is only magnified by Aidoo’s addition, as he looks to assert himself as one of the top defenders in the SEC once again, standing out as a rebounder and rim protector.
There will also be small holes in a lineup completely built in the offseason, and you can argue that this team needs more depth. The Razorbacks will lean on underclassmen, hoping they can develop into reliable options as the season progresses. Remember, this isn’t one of those old Calipari classes filled with 5-star talent, though Fland and Knox should both factor into Arkansas’s success in major ways this year.
The Razorbacks really came together with postseason runs, but last season’s team just didn’t meld and fell short of all expectations. With a new culture in place in Fayetteville, this year’s roster faces similar questions. Has Calipari gathered enough talent to make an actual run at the SEC? We expect Arkansas to compete in this tough, deep league and return to the Big Dance, though they certainly aren’t in the same tier as some of the top-tier programs… at least not yet.
Calipari will serve as a spark of interest, at least for now.
Latest NCAA Tournament Results
| YEAR |
RESULT |
| 2023 |
Lost Sweet Sixteen vs. (4) UConn 65–88 |
| 2022 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (2) Duke, 69–78 |
| 2021 |
Lost Elite Eight vs. (1) Baylor, 72–81 |
| 2018 |
Lost First Round vs. (10) Butler, 62–79 |
| 2017 |
Lost Second Round vs. (1) North Carolina, 65–72 |
| 2015 |
Lost Second Round vs. (4) North Carolina, 78–87 |
2024-2025 NCAA Basketball Top Teams
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