Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball

John Calipari's first trip back to Rupp Arena with his new team was a successful one.

Calipari's unranked Arkansas upset No. 12 Kentucky 89-79 on Saturday in his first contest against his former team. Calipari spent 15 years with the Wildcats before leaving for Arkansas after last season. He won a national title with Kentucky and produced countless NBA stars.

Aduo Thiero, who followed Calipari to Arkansas from Kentucky, led the way for the Razorbacks with 21 points and eight boards. Johnell Davis added 18 points, six assists and five boards.

Kentucky's Amari Williams and Jaxson Robinson combined for 42, but it wasn't enough to avoid the upset.

Despite Calipari's years of sustained success in Lexington, he was met by a hostile crowd that booed him as he entered the arena. He responded with a convincing win over one of the best teams in the SEC.

The three Arkansas players who joined Calipari in Fayetteville also showed up against their former team. Along with Thiero's 21, Zvonimir Ivisic added 14 points and DJ Wagner put up 17. The Razorbacks' 89 points are the most they have put up in conference play thus far.

Despite the win, the start of the Calipari era in Arkansas hasn't gone well. The Razorbacks are 13-8 on the season and 2-6 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are 15-6 on the year in 4-4 in SEC play.

While Kentucky has had the better season so far, Calipari and Arkansas got the last laugh on Saturday. It's the type of win that could turn the Razorbacks' season around as they try to make the NCAA tournament while competing in a loaded SEC.

If anything, the win should give Arkansas some momentum as it prepares for a stretch where it will see four ranked opponents in its next six games.

Arkansas will be without its star freshman for the remainder of the season.

Per CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, freshman guard Boogie Fland suffered a hand injury and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season. In 18 games, Fland averaged 15.1 points and 5.7 assists per game.

Though Fland has played Arkansas' last two games against LSU and Missouri, Razorbacks coach John Calipari said he suffered the injury during a loss to Florida on Jan. 11.

"Boogie's hand, he fell in the game at our place against Florida," Calipari said after Saturday's loss to Missouri, per 247Sports' Connor Goodson. [Billy Richmond] jumped on him, so his hand is pretty bad. Don't know what we'll do going forward, but we've got to make sure that we get that thing right."

Fland is Arkansas' second-leading scorer only behind Adou Thiero, a junior who joined Calipari in Fayetteville after two years with Kentucky.

In a talented draft class highlighted by Duke star Cooper Flagg, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projects Fland to go the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 23 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Given the fact that he's out for the season could have an impact on Fland's draft stock, though scouts got a decent sample size during the first half of the season.

Of course, Fland could always return to Arkansas for another season after this year, but that seems a bit unlikely if he is still trending toward being a first-round pick later this year.

Arkansas got off to a decent start to the Calipari era, going 11-2 heading into conference play. The Razorbacks have quickly been exposed by a talented SEC field, however, going 0-5 to start conference play.

Things will only get more difficult for the Razorbacks without Fland.

The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team's struggles continued Tuesday night, as they fell 78-74 to the LSU Tigers on the road.

That dropped Arkansas to 11-6 overall and 0-4 in SEC play on the season, and according to BR Hoops, it marked the first time in his career that head coach John Calipari started an SEC slate with an 0-4 record.

The Razorbacks went an impressive 11-2 in non-conference games, but they have since took losses against Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida and LSU, placing them all alone in last place in the SEC standings.

While Calipari is in the midst of his first season at Arkansas, he has been a major college head coach for 33 seasons, and he has been in the SEC since 2009.

Coach Cal enjoyed enormous success during his 15-year run at SEC power Kentucky, going 410-123 with 12 NCAA tournament appearances, six SEC regular-season titles, six SEC tournament titles, four trips to the Final Four and one national championship.

Calipari's one national title came in his third season at Kentucky in 2012, and while he came close on several more occasions, he was unable to reach the top of the college basketball mountain again.

The last few seasons of Calipari's Kentucky tenure saw the Wildcats go from a perennial SEC power to a team that was no longer dominant.

Kentucky did not win an SEC title of any kind over Calipari's final four seasons, and while they made it to the NCAA tournament three times during that stretch, they had two first-round exits and an elimination in the second round.

Calipari seemingly struggled to adjust to the one-and-done nature of college basketball, as he consistently put together top-notch recruiting classes, only to see his best players leave after one season in most cases.

With the Wildcats unable to retain quality players over the course of multiple seasons, it was tough to create continuity and a team capable of contending for championships.

The 65-year-old Calipari made the somewhat surprising decision to leave Kentucky for SEC foe Arkansas at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, which instantly made the Razorbacks a destination.

Per 247Sports, Arkansas had the No. 4 overall recruiting class in college basketball this season, and the No. 1 transfer class.

Arkansas also already has the No. 4 overall class for 2025, landing commitments from two 5-star recruits and one 4-star.

Strong recruiting initially seemed to pay dividends for Calipari and the Razorbacks, but their slide at the start of SEC play suggests that Coach Cal could be running into some of the same problems he had at Kentucky.

Still, Arkansas has undeniable talent and a chance to turn things around even in what may be the toughest conference in college basketball.

The Razorbacks beat then-No. 14 Michigan and lost by single digits to then-No. 23 Ole Miss and No. 8 Florida, so they have been competitive against top teams.

Junior Adou Thiero and freshman Boogie Fland have led the way for Arkansas this season, combining to average over 30 points per game, but no other Razorbacks player is averaging more than 10.4 points per game, which suggests Calipari needs more out of his supporting cast.

Calipari's next opportunity to get his first SEC in at Arkansas will come Saturday when the Razorbacks go on the road to face the Missouri Tigers.

A win in that game could go a long way toward Arkansas getting on track, but the games will only get tougher from then on, as the Razorbacks still have to go up against No. 23 Georgia, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 1 Auburn and No. 15 Mississippi State.

Meleek Thomas, a 5-star recruit from Overtime Elite high school, has committed to the University of Arkansas, joining head coach John Calipari, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The 6'3" shooting guard is ranked in the top 10 of the 2025 class by 247Sports composite rankings. He also received offers from Alabama, Kansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan, and several other schools.

Adam Finkelstein, director of scouting, praised Thomas' natural talent and noted how he stands out among the top prospects in the 2025 class.

"He's extremely confident and assertive, playing with a high-volume scoring mentality," Finkelstein said. "He's a tough shot-taker and maker, with the versatility to shoot off the dribble, with range, create space for step-backs, or make runners in a crowded lane."

Calipari has made it clear for years that Thomas was a top recruiting priority—a commitment Thomas took into account when making his decision, according to Connor Goodson of Hawg Sports.

"He's been consistent coming to see me since eighth, ninth grade. When a coach of that caliber is coming to see you very young it's like, 'Pay attention to that,'" Thomas said, per Goodson. "His track record says it all. I'm always trying to keep up with his players and who he sends to the league, but it's just like he has more and more every year."

Until then, Thomas will continue to make waves in his senior season with Overtime Elite.

As head coach John Calipari ushers in a new era at Arkansas, the team will have a fresh look for the 2024-25 season.

The Razorbacks revealed on Wednesday that the court at Bud Walton Arena has been refurbished to look brand new and will feature an updated center court logo:

Arkansas director of athletics Hunter Yurachek announced last week that the school was looking to raise an additional $500,000 to pair with a $500,000 donation before implementing the team's famed "Slobbering Hog" logo. He announced on Wednesday that a late six-figure donation allowed the school to reach its goal, and the logo was added to the court to fulfill the promise.

After spending 15 seasons as Kentucky head coach and leading the team to the 2012 national championship, four Final Four appearances and six SEC tournament and regular-season titles, Calipari departed to take the helm at Arkansas following the 2023-24 campaign.

"This is a dream job. It was my dream job," Calipari said upon leaving Kentucky, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello. "Anybody in our profession looks at the University of Kentucky in basketball and said, that is the bluest of blue. The last few weeks, we've come to realize that this program probably needs to hear another voice. And the fans need to hear another voice. We've loved it here, but we think it's time for us to step away. And step away completely from the program."

Calipari, who is replacing Eric Musselman following his departure for USC, added three transfers from Kentucky, three recruits he originally signed while at Kentucky, and a pair of high-impact transfers to rebuild the Arkansas roster.

The Razorbacks will play a pair of charity exhibition games against Kansas and TCU on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, respectively, before opening the 2024-25 season against Lipscomb on Nov. 6.

John Calipari's return date to Kentucky is set.

The former Wildcats' head coach will lead his new team, Arkansas, into Rupp Arena on Feb. 1. The team announced its SEC schedule on Tuesday:

Calipari left Kentucky this offseason after 15 seasons with the team.

His time in Lexington was a major success. Under his watch, the Wildcats won six SEC regular season championships, six conference championships, reached the NCAA tournament 12 times, the Final Four four times and won a national championship.

But his tenure had seemingly grown stale. Kentucky hasn't gotten past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament since the 2018-19 season and hasn't reached a Final Four since the 2014-15 campaign. Calipari opted against embracing the transfer portal, instead going with young, inexperienced rosters. The fanbase grew frustrated.

So Calipari chose to walk away, taking an Arkansas job that will come with plenty of resources but won't carry the same weight of expectation he had at Kentucky.

"I'm not going to try to get spiritual," he told Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports in May. "Something nudges you and you don't know what it is. But I've been there [at Kentucky] 15 years. Maybe it's, 'You've done what I needed you to do there for the kids, for the state. Now I need you to do something down there [at Arkansas].'"

His flair for recruiting has already impacted the Razorbacks, as Calipari secured the commitment of 5-star point guard Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 4 overall recruit in the Class of 2025. For the 2024 season, he had to rely on the transfer portal to fill out Arkansas' roster, notably bringing Zvonimir Ivišić, Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner with him from Kentucky.

Like Calipari, they'll return to Rupp Arena on Feb. 1. It should be quite the environment.

Darius Acuff Jr., a 5-star point guard from the class of 2025, has committed to play for head coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Acuff, who announced his commitment live on 247Sports Friday, chose Arkansas over Michigan and Kansas.

The IMG Academy product ranks eighth on the 247Sports Composite list of class of 2025 prospects and first overall among point guards.

Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports' director of scouting, called Acuff "the most dominant and dynamic lead guard in the class."

Adding him is another big win for Calipari, who already built the Razorbacks' No. 3 class of 2024 (per 247Sports) thanks to three top-26 recruits (Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond) as well as big-time transfers such as DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis.

As for why Acuff liked Arkansas, he cited Calipari and his ability to coach guards into the NBA (e.g. Derrick Rose, John Wall, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray, etc.) during an interview with On3, per Joe Tipton.

"Coach Calipari treats you like family. He welcomed me in on my visit like he knew me already. It was a great visit overall…They like my aggressiveness. He says he likes how I am able to get downhill, my pace, and my attitude for the game. They see that I just love the game so much and I just want to win.

"Just how (Calipari) coaches his guards. All his guards go to the league. You see it every year. Also, his resume speaks for itself. He's one of the winningest coaches ever. He's a great coach, a guard coach, if not the best."

And now Calipari will be his coach in 2025 as Acuff, who is part of a fantastic class of 2025 that also includes headliner Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper and many other standouts, carves his own post-high school path.

Kiyan Anthony—the son of Syracuse University and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony—is considering multiple visits as his college basketball recruitment kicks into high gear.

According to On3's Joe Tipton, Anthony said he is considering visits to Ohio State, Auburn, USC and Rutgers, as well as a return trip to his father's alma mater in Syracuse.

Anthony also told Tipton he is now receiving interest from Arkansas, which hired John Calipari as its head coach in April.

The 17-year-old Anthony is regarded as one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting class, as 247Sports rates him 4 stars and ranks him as the No. 31 overall player, No. 5 shooting guard and No. 1 player from the state of New York in his class.

Anthony stars at Long Island Lutheran High School in Glen Head, New York, which is less than 30 miles away from where his father spent parts of seven seasons as a member of the New York Knicks.

Melo won a national title and the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award in his one and only collegiate season at Syracuse and parlayed it into a highly successful 19-year NBA career.

The elder Anthony was a 10-time All-Star and one-time scoring champion, ranks 10th on the NBA's all-time scoring list and won three Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal as a member of Team USA.

Kiyan, who is listed as 6'5" and 185 pounds, is looking to follow in his father's footsteps, and could potentially take the same path.

Syracuse has long been considered a front-runner for Kiyan, as it was among the first schools to offer him a scholarship in 2022.

Per 247Sports, several other high-profile programs have also offered Anthony, including Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Florida State, Michigan and Tennessee.

Arkansas isn't yet on that list, but the Razorbacks' entire dynamic has changed since the school lured Calipari away from Kentucky.

Calipari has put together the No. 3 overall recruiting class and No. 1 transfer class in the country for 2024, per 247Sports, and he figures to be aggressive in adding more talent for 2025 and beyond.

Anthony has several options at his disposal, so Syracuse can't necessarily count on landing him just because his dad is a legend at the school.

Arkansas men's basketball head coach John Calipari said he had previously been pursued by the Razorbacks when he was coaching Memphis to the Final Four in 2007.

"At that time, Dan, if I left, I left players," Calipari told Dan Patrick Wednesday on the Dan Patrick Show (3:25 mark.) "Like, they were there. And if my assistant wasn't going to get the job, I wasn't comfortable just leaving."

A conversation with Houston men's basketball head coach Kelvin Sampson made Calipari realize the outlook for leaving Kentucky after 15 seasons would be different.

Calipari said he told Sampson this spring that he was "having a hard time, because I'm going to end up leaving players."

"Kelvin went crazy," Calipari recalled. "'What? If you leave, they can leave. They can go where they want. They can go with you. They can go pro. What are you talking about? This isn't 10 years ago.'

"Then he said the one that got me: 'And if you stay, they can leave. They can go somewhere else. They can go pro. This is different.' And you know what? That got me to thinking a different way. And within 36 hours, I said, 'You know what? I want this new challenge... I want to bring something to that state, and that program, that explodes this state.'"

Calipari was named the new head coach at Arkansas in April.

Since then, three four-star members of Kentucky's 2024 recruiting class in Billy Richmond, Karter Knox and Boogie Fland switched their commitments to Arkansas. Zvonimir Ivišić, who played his freshman season at Kentucky, also decided to follow Calipari to join the Razorbacks

Calipari will now hope to build a roster, likely centered on the players who followed him to Fayetteville, that can take Arkansas back to the NCAA Tournament after missing out on a bid this year.