Arkansas
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.
Rex Nelson
Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.
He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.
Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.
From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.
Dylan Sherman
Dylan Sherman is a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He is based in Northwest Arkansas and focuses on Tyson Foods Inc. and the transportation industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he has been with the newspaper since 2023.
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