Arkansas has only one scholarship player back from a team that finished a game below .500 last year, yet the Razorbacks open this season in the AP Top 25.
Consider that a testament to the way new coach John Calipari reshaped his roster by adding transfers and freshmen.
Arkansas added three top-30 recruits and also was among the most active teams in the transfer portal. The result has Arkansas entering the season as the No. 16 team in the nation, the highest preseason ranking for any team that missed last year’s NCAA Tournament.
“Right now we’re undefeated, and they’re a little up in here, and I’m like, ‘Dudes, calm down,’” Calipari said at the Southeastern Conference media days. “I try to tell them I don’t have a magic wand. I’m not a magician. It’s not what I do. It normally takes a couple years for me to get the culture right.”
Much of Arkansas’ roster departed after coach Eric Musselman left for Southern California, leaving forward Trevon Brazile as the team’s lone returning scholarship player from the team that went 16-17. Brazile averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season.
But there are plenty of newcomers with proven track records.
D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic and Kareem Watkins followed Calipari from Kentucky to Arkansas. Calipari also landed Jonas Aidoo from Tennessee and Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic.
Davis started on FAU’s 2023 Final Four team and averaged 18.2 points last season. Aidoo had 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as an Associated Press first-team all-SEC selection last season.
The freshman class is headed by Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond. All had planned on playing for Calipari at Kentucky.
Arkansas is one of many programs that dramatically changed their rosters this offseason. In an indication of how quickly programs can retool themselves now that players can transfer without sitting out a season, six teams in the preseason AP Top 25 didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last year. Some should be good enough to earn bids this season:
No. 17 Indiana
After going 19-14 and turning down an NIT bid last year, Indiana got active in the transfer portal and added Oumar Ballo (formerly at Arizona), Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford), Myles Rice (Washington State) and Luke Goode (Illinois), among others. Ballo, a 7-footer, was a first-team all-Pac-12 player the last two seasons. Rice was the Pac-12 freshman of the year. The Hoosiers also return three players who posted double-figure scoring averages in Malik Reneau (15.4), Mackenzie Mgbako (12.2) and Trey Galloway (10.6).
No. 20 Cincinnati
Cincinnati returns its top three scorers from a team that went 22-15 and lost to Indiana State in the NIT quarterfinals. The group includes guards Dan Skillings Jr. (12.9 points per game), Simas Lukosius (11.8) and Day Day Thomas (10.4). Aziz Bandaogo, a 7-footer, had a team-high 7.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. The Bearcats also bring back guard C.J. Fredrick Jr., who made 10 starts last season. Transfer additions include Dillon Mitchell, who had 9.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for Texas last season.
No. 22 UCLA
After making the Final Four in 2021 and losing in the Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2023, UCLA slumped to 16-17 last season. UCLA returns four starters from that team, including leading scorer Dylan Andrews (12.9 ppg) and leading rebounder Lazar Stefanovic (6.1). Sebastian Mack returns after scoring 12.1 points per game last season. UCLA also added six transfers who scored over 9 points per game last season in Tyler Bilodeau (14.3 at Oregon State), Skyy Clark (13.2 at Louisville), Eric Dailey Jr. (9.3 at Oklahoma State), Dominick Harris (14.3 at Loyola Marymount), Kobe Johnson (10.9 at Southern California) and William Kyle (13.1 at South Dakota State).
No. 24 Mississippi
Ole Miss went 20-12 in coach Chris Beard’s debut season after going 12-21 the year before his arrival. Now the Rebels want to take another step by earning their first NCAA bid since 2019. The Rebels return three of their top four scorers in Matthew Murrell (16.2), Jaylen Murray (13.8) and Jaemyn Brakefield (12.9). Sean Pedulla arrives from Virginia Tech after averaging 16.4 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds. Other transfers include Mikeal Brown-Jones (18.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg at UNC-Greensboro), Malik Dia (16.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg at Belmont), Dre Davis (15.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg at Seton Hall) and Davon Barnes (13.5 ppg at Sam Houston State).
No. 25 Rutgers
Rutgers has two of the nation’s most heralded freshmen in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, son of former NBA guard Ron Harper. A composite ranking of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports had Bailey ranked second and Harper third in his class. The Scarlet Knights return two of the top three scorers from a team that went 15-17 last season in guard Jeremiah Williams (12.2) and center Clifford Omoruyi (10.4). Omoruyi ranked third among all Division I players with 2.9 blocks per game.
St. John’s
St. John’s isn’t in the Top 25 but received the second-highest vote total of any unranked team. St. John’s returns only one double-figure scorer (RJ Luis) from the team that went 20-13 and turned down an NIT bid in its first season under Rick Pitino, but the Red Storm still figure to be better. Kadary Richmond came over from Big East rival Seton Hall after averaging 15.7 points, 7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals last season. Utah transfer Deivon Smith ranked sixth in Division I with 7.1 assists per game and had five triple-doubles last season. Zuby Ejiofor, who had just 4.3 points per game last season, scored 27 points in a preseason charity exhibition victory over Rutgers. St. John’s is seeking its first NCAA bid since 2019.
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