Arkansas

Arkansas basketball vs. Baylor: Scouting report, prediction for Razorbacks’ first marquee matchup

Published

1 year ago

November 8, 2024

Arkansas basketball vs. Baylor: Scouting report, prediction for Razorbacks’ first marquee matchup

Arkansas basketball hits the road for Dallas this weekend, set for its first marquee matchup of the John Calipari era.

The No. 16 Razorbacks will face No. 8 Baylor on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPNU) inside the American Airlines Center, home of the Dallas Mavericks. The Hogs opened their season with a 76-60 victory over Lipscomb on Wednesday, while the Bears stumbled in a 101-63 loss Monday at No. 7 Gonzaga.

Here are a scouting report and prediction for this weekend’s matchup between Arkansas and Baylor.

Can the Hogs hit open threes?

Arkansas went 4-for-19 from 3-point range against Lipscomb. If you count their two exhibition games, the Hogs are shooting 26.5% on threes this year.

Gonzaga made 13 3-pointers at a 41.9% rate in its blowout win over Baylor.

Calipari’s dribble-drive offense is still a work in progress this early in the season, but the Razorbacks created great looks against the Bisons, they just couldn’t get shots to fall. Boogie Fland struggled, going 1-for-8 from downtown. The entire team will need a better shooting performance to beat a hungry Baylor squad.

Bears present intriguing test for Arkansas frontcourt

Baylor’s Norchad Omier is only 6-foot-7, but he’s one of the most physical and athletic bigs in the country. Omier gobbles offensive rebounds and has a craft game around the rim. With Jonas Aidoo still trying to reach full fitness, Omier could be a matchup problem for the Hogs. He will be a good test for Zvonimir Ivišić and Trevon Brazile.

Josh Ojianwuna stands next to Omier in the frontcourt with a more traditional 6-foot-10 frame, serving as Baylor’s rim protector. If there is a weakness for Baylor down low, it’s depth: The Bears didn’t play another forward more than six minutes against Gonzaga.

Two of the best freshmen in America

Hopefully, fans in Dallas and watching on television get to see Arkansas’ Boogie Fland and Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe go head-to-head Saturday.

Both were five-star prospects, headlining elite recruiting classes at their programs. They’re the only two freshmen in the starting lineups and are potential lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Edgecombe is looking for a bounce-back performance after going 2-for-11 with four points against Gonzaga, while Fland led Arkansas with 17 points Wednesday night.

Prediction

Both teams are getting comfortable on the fly with rosters filled by newcomers and potential. Baylor will be motivated to put the Gonzaga loss in the rear-view mirror but, while Omier could have a big night, the Razorbacks’ defense will be the X-factor in a 2-0 start. Arkansas 74, Baylor 68.

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Arkansas

#24 Arkansas Explodes for Eight Runs in Eighth to Race past Missouri State in Midweek Rematch

Published

5 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

#24 Arkansas Explodes for Eight Runs in Eighth to Race past Missouri State in Midweek Rematch

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 24 Arkansas (27-15) used an eight-run eighth inning, punctuated by home runs from Ryder Helfrick and TJ Pompey, to race past Missouri State (26-12) in a 12-4 win Tuesday night at Baum-Walker Stadium.

With their win in the rematch against the Bears, the Razorbacks improved to 9-2 in midweek games, including a 7-1 mark in midweek matchups at home, this season. Arkansas will conclude its midweek slate next week with a double midweek series against Northwestern State from April 28-29 inside the friendly confines of Baum-Walker Stadium.

Entering the bottom of the eighth tied at four, the Hogs exploded for eight runs on seven hits, including four extra-base hits, to blow the game open. Carter Rutenbar’s go-ahead two-run single through the right side put Arkansas up 6-4 and set the table for Camden Kozeal’s RBI double, Helfrick’s three-run blast and Pompey’s two-run shot later in the frame.

When the bottom of the eighth was all said and done, the Razorbacks had opened a commanding 12-4 lead after they were shut out through the game’s first five innings. Kozeal finished the night 3-for-5 with a double, home run and two RBI to lead Arkansas offensively and raise his season slash line to .305/.394/.604 with 11 homers and a team-high 48 RBI.

Helfrick, meanwhile, swatted his team-leading 14th home run in Tuesday night’s win against the Bears. The Razorbacks’ superstar catcher is now slashing .293/.430/.626 with 14 homers and 40 RBI through his 41 games played this season.

In addition to Kozeal, Nolan Souza (3-for-5), Reese Robinett (2-for-5, 2B) and Kuhio Aloy (2-for-4, RB) logged multi-hit games. Along with Helfrick and Kozeal, Rutenbar (1-for-4, 2 RBI) and Pompey (1-for-1, HR, RBI) tallied multiple RBI.

On the mound, Tate McGuire made his third start of the season for Arkansas and worked 3.2 innings of two-run ball with four strikeouts. In relief, Colin Fisher (3.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 SO), Steele Eaves (0.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO), Parker Coil (0.2 IP) and Cooper Dossett (1.0 IP, 2 SO) combined for 5.1 innings of two-run ball (one earned) with eight strikeouts to seal the win.

Up next, the Hogs will hit the road for an SEC weekend series from April 23-25 in Columbia, Mo. First pitch in the series opener between Arkansas and Missouri (20-21) is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23, on SEC Network.

For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

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Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

Published

17 hours ago

April 21, 2026

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Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

A legislative panel rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have eliminated former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s job as an adviser to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

A top lawmaker also suggested that Profiri may return to his job overseeing the state prison system, two years after he was fired by the state Board of Corrections as part of a dispute with Sanders.

The proposal rejected by the Joint Budget Committee’s personnel subcommittee would have written into the appropriation for Sanders’ office language eliminating Profiri’s position from the Republican governor’s staff. Subcommittee members voted 9-6 against the amendment, with Rep. Lane Jean not casting a vote.

Republican Sen. Terry Rice introduced the proposal last week, a little over six months after Profiri didn’t appear at a hearing on the now-stalled Franklin County prison project before a committee that Rice co-chairs.

Rice called this a “major trust-breaker.”

“The Board of Corrections members asked Mr. Profiri to share his intended plans as secretary, and they would work with him. He ignored multiple attempts,” Rice said. “I was told during that meeting, he was in the Capitol, had been seen in the hall at the same time. He didn’t even reply and chose to snub legislators’ questions.”

Profiri was fired by the Arkansas Board of Corrections as the leader of the state’s prison agency in 2024, following months of increasing tensions between the constitutionally-independent board and Sanders over opening new beds when the Department of Corrections already struggled to find sufficient staffing. Those tensions eventually resulted in lawsuits, which are still unresolved, and Profiri’s firing.

After he was fired, the Republican governor hired Profiri as a senior advisor, making him the highest paid staffer in her office. Profiri is paid $183,699.98 a year, according to the Arkansas transparency portal.

Jean, a Republican from Magnolia who co-chairs the Joint Budget Committee, asked Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson and Board of Corrections member Lee Watson “what the timeline was” for Sanders to rehire Profiri as corrections secretary, pointing to the new makeup of the board.

“I don’t think there’s any objection to the board, or certainly a majority of the board, to hire him (again). What are we waiting on?” Jean asked.

“What I can say is Secretary (Lindsay) Wallace, she is the secretary, and she will continue as secretary until the governor decides she’s not secretary,” Hudson said. “In the interim, (Profiri) continues to do his job as an adviser to the governor.”

The ongoing lawsuit between the Board of Corrections and Sanders centers on who has the authority to fire the corrections secretary. A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ruled last year that the board does. Sanders appealed the ruling.

The board’s new Sanders-appointed majority voted to accept a settlement agreement accepting her position that she is the one with firing authority earlier this month, though the lower court order remains in force until the Arkansas Supreme Court rules on the matter.

Sam Dubke, Sanders’ spokesperson, referred the Advocate to Hudson’s remarks when asked for comment on whether Profiri would be rehired as corrections secretary.

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Arkansas

TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

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TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla –The Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, on April 19, 2026 at ONEOK Field and The Sporting Tribune’s Robert Sloter was there to capture the following TST Images.

Luke Fox #15 of the Tulsa Drillers throws a pitch during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.