Although the Arkansas football season has had more lows than highs so far, Arkansas basketball has everything it needs to do the opposite. As John Calipari heads into his third season as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, he has had noteworthy success each season, and his team has improved progressively. In his first season as the head Hog, Calipari led the team to the Sweet 16, and last season, he won the SEC Tournament Championship and returned to the Sweet 16.
As is Calipari’s remarkable norm, he reloads in the offseason, always fielding one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, if not the No. 1 class. Although the Razorbacks lost Meleek Thomas, Trevon Brazile, and Darius Acuff Jr. to the NBA, they have the nation’s unanimous No. 1 recruiting class. Given the Hogs’ past two successful seasons and this elite recruiting class, they should rank much higher than No. 12 in the AP Preseason Top 25.
This argument becomes even more reasonable when considering that Arkansas has addressed its weaknesses, including size and depth, has returned the dynamic play of Billy Richmond III, and has the excellent Georgia transfer guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, a talented scorer. Although the Razorbacks will miss Darius Acuff Jr., Wilkinson will replace most of the scoring Acuff Jr. delivered, averaging 17.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game, and shooting 41.0% from the field, 35.7% from behind the arc, and 78.6% at the charity stripe.
Arkansas basketball deserves Tennessee's AP Preseason Top 25 spot
Although a strong case can be made for Arkansas taking other teams’ spots in the top 10, the No. 7 spot, currently held by the Tennessee Volunteers, is the most logical place for the Hogs in the Associated Press (AP) Preseason Top 25. On October 20, 2026, the Volunteers traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the nation’s most challenging environments for an opposing team, to face the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils in an exhibition game, and Duke embarrassed Tennessee, winning 103-64.
Many argue it is just one game, an exhibition game at that, but a 39-point blowout loss shows this team does not deserve to be No. 7. The AP should wait until all exhibition games conclude before publishing its preseason rankings. Duke’s ranking looks legitimate and aligns with its long and consistent history of college basketball greatness. The Volunteers’ performance, however, dramatically weakens the AP’s preseason rankings. The rankings are premature and fail to consider essential information about teams before they are developed and released.
When one compares how the Razorbacks have performed against their offseason competition, including in Saturday’s exhibition contest in Bud Walton Arena, the most challenging place in the nation for opposing teams, against the No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs, an elite college basketball program, defeating the Bulldogs 76-72, they deserve the No. 7 ranking over the Volunteers. Both the Bulldogs and Razorbacks proved they deserve, at minimum, their current rankings.
Although the Blue Devils pose a greater challenge than the Bulldogs, and the Volunteers deserve credit for scheduling them, they did not prove they belonged in Cameron Indoor Stadium, making the Volunteers’ current ranking questionable at best. However, those who watched the Hogs and Bulldogs play saw two teams that could legitimately challenge and defeat the Blue Devils. With Arkansas essentially having two starting fives, going 11 deep, the team’s depth will pose significant challenges not only for Duke but for any team.
Because Arkansas can legitimately compete with Duke, the team is a more viable No. 7 candidate than Tennessee. Duke certainly cannot steamroll the Hogs by 39 points, even on a day when Calipari’s team does not perform well. The Razorbacks did not play their best against a talented Gonzaga Bulldogs team. However, Arkansas has enough depth and talent to overcome a slightly underwhelming performance against any team in the nation.
Final Thoughts
If the AP wants to produce more meaningful preseason rankings, it should wait until all exhibition games have concluded before developing and releasing them. Although teams can prove their worth on the basketball court, these preseason rankings still matter, especially in today’s increasingly competitive NIL and transfer portal era. Such rankings shape recruits’ perceptions of teams, including where they believe they have the best chance to win championships and gain the most attention from NBA front offices.
As the season progresses, the Arkansas Razorbacks will have a chance to prove the AP’s preseason rankings are laughable. Those who really know Calipari know he loves being undervalued because it gives him easy bait to motivate his players. He, therefore, welcomes the AP’s preseason rankings.
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