Arkansas
Can Ole Miss beat Arkansas for fourth straight upset in SEC Tournament? Our prediction
NASHVILLE — Coach Chris Beard observed something he didn’t like at the Ole Miss basketball team breakfast on March 13.
“I saw a couple guys kind of yawning as they came into breakfast,” Beard said. “That’s not going to work.”
Beard said his team quickly set the tone that morning before No. 15 seed Ole Miss beat No. 2 Alabama 80-79 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Bridgestone Arena.
Ole Miss will face No. 3 Arkansas (24-8) in the semifinals on March 14 (2:30 p.m., ESPN). The winner will be one game away from earning a bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Ole Miss is the second team in SEC Tournament history to win three straight games to reach semifinals. No. 13 Auburn did it in 2025.
The Rebels are the lowest seed to make the SEC semifinals, but this is just the second year since the tournament expanded from 14 to 16 teams after Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference.
Beard said he urges his players to be off their phones this time of year. It’s to keep players from focusing on a narrative he knows will be brought up for the rest of the tournament: Won’t Ole Miss be tired against Arkansas?
“Is Ole Miss going to be tired after playing 80 minutes? I just don’t believe in that,” Beard said.
Beard explained why.
“These players are not 29, 30, 31 years old,” Beard said. “They grew up playing in the summer, sometimes three games a day on the AAU circuit.
Beard also drew on his personal experience as a kid. He said fatigue won’t be something the Rebels use as an excuse.
“All of them, in their respective basketball journeys, played pickup basketball seven days a week for hours and hours and hours,” Beard said.
Ole Miss guard Ilias Kamardine was asked how the Rebels will combat fatigue on the TV broadcast after the Alabama game.
“There is no excuse,” Kamardine said. “That’s what we said before the (Alabama) game. Just keep fighting. We know we’re a little bit tired, but we want to keep going.”
How does Ole Miss basketball match up against Arkansas?
Stopping Arkansas guard Darius Acuff will be key for Beard and the Rebels.
Acuff scored 37 points against Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. His performances propelled the Razorbacks to an 82-79 win.
Arkansas beat Ole Miss 94-87 in the only regular season meeting on Jan. 7. Acuff was excellent in that game as well, scoring 26 points and adding nine assists.
Arkansas has an elite offense, but the Rebels have already knocked out two similar teams out of the tournament. The Razorbacks are No. 3 in the SEC in scoring (90.2 points). The Rebels beat the No. 1 scoring offense in Alabama (91.7) and the No. 3 offense in Georgia (89.8).
Ole Miss basketball vs. Arkansas prediction
Ole Miss 85, Arkansas 83: The Rebels have found a great groove in Nashville. Unlike Arkansas, Ole Miss is playing for its NCAA Tournament hopes.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
Temperatures will climb to the upper 90s today and heat index values will get close to 105° this afternoon. There are heat advisories today for part of west and southwest Arkansas.
Today will bring a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms late in the day in Central Arkansas.
Friday will also bring a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with very hot weather.
Rain chances increase and temperatures drop this weekend when a cold front moves through Arkansas.
Arkansas
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Fort Smith Historic Site: Law, conflict and the West
Explore Fort Smith Historic Site, where westward expansion, federal justice and Native American history shaped life on the American frontier.
A former Arkansas Tech University graduate and commander of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command is being remembered with two posthumous honors recognizing his lasting influence on the nation’s military intelligence operations.
The late Maj. Gen. Gary W. Johnston, a 1987 Arkansas Tech graduate and Russellville native, was honored during a dedication ceremony June 25 at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where the Army officially named a newly consolidated military intelligence complex the Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility.
Johnston also was posthumously inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame for helping reshape Army intelligence through the integration of emerging technologies, including big data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
The new facility serves as a central hub for U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) operations at Fort Huachuca, known as the “Home of Army Intelligence.” It houses some of the Army’s most critical intelligence personnel and brings together units that had previously operated from aging buildings spread across the installation.
Army officials said the previous arrangement created operational challenges, including limited secure workspaces, outdated infrastructure and additional security requirements. Beginning in 2018, INSCOM launched an effort to consolidate those missions by renovating two existing buildings into a 16,300-square-foot intelligence operations center designed to improve collaboration and security.
The facility now houses INSCOM G3’s Detachment 52, elements of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, representatives from the Ground Intelligence Support Activity, an emerging Foundry program element and other intelligence organizations.
Among those attending the dedication were Johnston’s wife, Brig. Gen. Amy Johnston, daughter Lauren Woodworth and granddaughter Arabella Woodworth.
Maj. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, said the building represents more than a new workplace.
“As we dedicate the U.S. Army INSCOM Major General Gary W. Johnston Consolidated Mission Facility, we do more than just open a new facility… we consecrate a tribute to his indelible legacy,” Cox said. “This facility will stand as a constant reminder of his service, his vision and his unwavering commitment to our nation and to the soldiers he led. It will inspire future generations of intelligence professionals to emulate his example of leadership and selfless service.”
Retired Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kevin Boughton, former INSCOM command chief warrant officer, said Johnston envisioned closer collaboration between the Army’s intelligence training and operational communities.
Boughton said Johnston believed the distance between the Intelligence Center of Excellence and INSCOM’s operational units “shouldn’t be measured in miles,” but instead by “a seamless flow of data, doctrine, and talent” where operational experience and institutional knowledge move freely between soldiers in the field and those training the next generation.
Johnston graduated from Russellville High School in 1983 before earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Arkansas Tech in 1987. Through the university’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, he received his commission as a U.S. Army officer.
During a military career spanning more than 34 years, Johnston served in command and staff assignments ranging from platoon level to senior leadership within the Army and Department of Defense. He deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel.
In 2015, Johnston became the seventh graduate of Arkansas Tech’s Army ROTC program to attain the rank of general officer. He was promoted to major general in 2017.
He concluded his military career as commanding general of U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, overseeing approximately 17,500 personnel operating in more than 40 countries.
Army leaders credited Johnston with helping modernize military intelligence by laying the groundwork for the establishment of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, which was formally created in 2022 after his retirement. He also led development of what became the Army Intelligence Data Platform, designed to incorporate advanced data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning into intelligence operations while supporting future large-scale combat operations.
Johnston also promoted data science education within the military intelligence community by partnering with George Mason University to provide specialized training for Army warrant officers.
Colleagues remembered Johnston not only for his strategic vision but also for his leadership style. Despite working in one of the Army’s most demanding operational environments, they described him as a source of humor, kindness and encouragement whose focus remained on the soldiers, civilians and contractors carrying out the intelligence mission.
Johnston retired from active duty in 2021 and died in January 2022.
His latest recognitions add to previous honors from his alma mater. Johnston was a member of the inaugural Arkansas Tech Army ROTC Hall of Honor in 2017 and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Distinction in 2019.
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