Image – Whole Hog Sports
2025-2026 Recap:
Image – Ethan Doan
Arkansas finished the 2025-2026 season with a 28-9 overall record and a 13-5 mark in the SEC. Plus, the Razorbacks won the SEC Tournament Championship and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
Freshman point guard Darius Acuff Jr. won the SEC player and freshman of the year, was on the All-SEC First Team, All-SEC freshman team, was named a consensus First Team All-American, and was named the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year.
His freshman backcourt mate Meleek Thomas was also on the All-SEC freshman team while wing Billy Richmond III was on the All-SEC Defensive team. All three of Acuff Jr., Thomas, and Richmond III are likely to enter this summer’s NBA Draft.
Both forward Trevon Brazile and center Nick Pringle finished up their collegiate careers after Arkansas’ run ended against Arizona in the Sweet 16. Though Brazile was not given any post-season honors in 2026, he was a crucial player for the Razorbacks late in the season. He ended the regular season with 28 points and nine rebounds on his senior night win against Texas before ruining Missouri’s senior day with 17 points, nine rebounds, and a dagger three-pointer in overtime against his former team on March 7. Pringle wrapped up his career with the Razorbacks but previously played for two SEC teams; Alabama and South Carolina.
I also recapped the season and looked forward to the off-season in this 44-minute video and another about what has gone on over the last week.
In the media:
Image – Ethan Doan
Now, that means the off-season is up next. Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari has been on many shows since the season ended including ESPN’s First Take, Get Up, College GameDay and met up with Barstool Live in Indianapolis. On Tuesday, the day this post is being published, the transfer portal is open for business in college basketball.
On Get Up, Calipari was quoted saying this about his team: “Stand your ground, we’re going to be alright. We’re going to get this right. Stand your ground. Do the right stuff.”
On GameDay, he added “I wish we didn’t play Arizona,” getting the crew to laugh with him. He also discussed the status of college athletics with NIL and the transfer portal, continuing to champion the young people playing college sports.
With Barstool Sports, the Razorbacks’ coach said they want to get Meleek Thomas and Billy Richmond picked in the first round of the NBA Draft. “They may both come back if they’re not in that first round.” If Thomas and Richmond are back in the fold for Arkansas for the 2026-2027 season, they could be a top ten ranked team in the pre-season AP Poll.
Looking forward to next season:
Image – Whole Hog Sports
Last Tuesday, March 31, Razorback forward Malique Ewin announced that an ““Announcement [is] coming soon[.] On instagram Officialmaliquee[.]” on his X account. Since, he has not made an announcement on his Instagram account.
That night, two future Arkansas players Jordan Smith Jr. and JJ Andrews faced off in the annual McDonald’s All-American game. The two five-star recruits both had quality outings. Smith scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds for the East team while Andrews added 12 points and five rebounds for the west team. They will team up with Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year Abdou Torre as Calipari’s next group of star-studded freshmen in Fayetteville next season.
Image – 40/29 News
On Thursday, Calipari confirmed Arkansas will play on Thanksgiving Day for the third season in a row, this time in Detroit. On his X account, he said: ““It looks like we are going to have an opportunity to play Michigan State in a neutral site game on Thanksgiving day on CBS next season. We have been one of the most watched college basketball teams and want to build on that! Michigan State WILL return the home game to Bud Walton Arena and we are working on a date. Stay tuned!!”
Earlier in the week before Calipari confirmed the Spartans would return the Razorbacks’ would host the return game they played in back on Nov. 8 in East Lansing, one they lost 69-66. Arkansas fans were beside themselves. They want as many top teams coming to play the hogs inside of Bud Walton Arena. Now, all they have to do is wait for the Razorbacks to announce the date Arkansas will host Michigan State in a future season.
Image – Whole Hog Sports
The first domino for the Arkansas men’s basketball’s off-season happened on Friday afternoon, April 3. Multiple sources reported that Razorback wing Karter Knox planned to enter the transfer portal. Knox confirmed the news when he reposted it on his Instagram story on the same day. He was a key part of Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16 in 2025, scoring 14 points in their Round of 32 win against St. John’s in the Round of 32.
After entering the NBA Draft following the Razorbacks’ run in the NCAA Tournament, Knox pulled out and returned to Fayetteville for his sophomore year. He averaged 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 0.5 steals per contest in an injury-plagued year. After suffering an injury to his left meniscus against Auburn on Feb. 14, he had a successful surgery to repair this issue.
Knox did not return to action for Arkansas the rest of the season despite voicing his want to get back on the court for the Razorbacks during media coverage of their run to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament this season. The wing played both the small forward and power forward position for Arkansas during his two seasons in Fayetteville.
With the McDonald’s All-American Andrews, Torre enrolling as freshman, and Richmond likely returning to campus at the wing position, Knox’s exit was not a surprise. Rising sophomore Isaiah Sealey is still on the roster as well.
As the transfer portal opened today, I will keep everyone updated with weekly posts on updates regarding who Arkansas adds and loses in the transfer portal.
I will recap the Razorbacks’ full off-season and look forward to the upcoming 2026-2027 season in my post ‘2026 Arkansas Basketball Off-Season Update’ tentatively on Thursday, Aug. 6.
Image – ESPN
On Monday, April 6, it was reported that Arkansas guard DJ Wagner planned to enter the transfer portal. Wagner confirmed the news on his Instagram story.
He averaged 7.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per contest during his junior season. He will have one more season of eligibility at his next stop.
