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John Calipari’s first impressions on Arkansas basketball freshmen in summer practices

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John Calipari’s first impressions on Arkansas basketball freshmen in summer practices


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  • Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari is working with four new freshmen recruits.
  • Point guard Darius Acuff shows promise but needs to improve defensively and play at a faster pace.
  • Shooting guard Meleek Thomas needs to improve his shot selection efficiency.
  • Isaiah Sealy needs to improve his anticipation and read the play before catching the ball.

FAYETTEVILLE — John Calipari is evolving with the changing ecosystem of college hoops, but the Arkansas basketball head coach can’t quit his reliance on ballyhooed first-year players.

The Razorbacks welcomed four freshmen to campus this summer. Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas were five-star pillars, while Isaiah Sealy and Lebanon’s Karim Rtail joined as development pieces to round out the 2025 signing class.

Calipari invited the local media to attend an open practice last week. Rtail did not participate due to an ongoing back injury, but the other three freshmen all showed why they were so highly-regarded coming out of high school.

Here’s a look at what Calipari has seen from his first-year players through summer workouts.

Darius Acuff

The point guard from Detroit was the crown jewel of Calipari’s latest recruiting class. His feel for the game was evident in last week’s practice.

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Acuff looked calm in the pick-and-roll and operated with patience, dragging defenders away from the basket before throwing perfect lobs to big men like Nick Pringle and Malique Ewin. Acuff can also lull on-ball defenders with hesitation moves before driving past them and getting to the basket.

But according to Calipari, Acuff must improve defensively and play with a faster pace. His methodical approach can slice defenses, but Arkansas wants to run with three capable point guards in Acuff, D.J. Wagner and Billy Richmond.

Wagner was singing Acuff’s praises in a recent press conference. The duo must be a better backcourt fit this year than Fland and Wagner were in Calipari’s first season at Arkansas.

“(Acuff) can do everything,” Wagner said. “He can shoot, he plays with great pace, he plays physical, so it’s fun to play with him and against him every day. I feel like he’s making me better. He’s making all of us better.”

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Meleek Thomas

Thomas’ ability to make highly-contested and difficult jump shots wowed college coaches and recruiting experts, but Calipari wants to see better efficiency.

“I’m stopping every time (Thomas) tries to take one because he’s going 1 for 5 and we can’t win like that,” Calipari said. “The other shots, he makes, so just take those, but they like to do their thing. So we’re teaching.”

The head coach wants Thomas, a shooting guard, dribbling less during the summer practices while still staying involved with the offense. Calipari envisions him shooting floaters, coming off screens into mid-range jumpers and pulling up for 3-pointers in transition. At the open practice, Thomas initiated some offense in 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 drills.

Arkansas wants to rein Thomas in while still capitalizing on his gifted offensive game.

“(Thomas) is a bucket-getter,” Calipari said. “And I’ll tell you what else he is – he’s a gym rat, and he lives in the gym, so he’s going to be fine.”

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Isaiah Sealy

All three freshmen are still adjusting to the speed of college basketball. Calipari pointed out a specific avenue where Sealy must improve.

“Isaiah doesn’t play until he catches, so he’s behind the action instead of, ‘I’m seeing, so when I catch it I read and I see what’s there in front of me,’” Calipari said. “He catches and then tries to read, but that’s typical of someone his age.”

But Sealy impressed with his reads during the open practice. He found open dunkers in the pick-and-roll and knew when to take it upon himself and drive to the basket. He also had one of the better looking 3-point shots on the roster.

The Springdale High School product was a four-star recruit who could quickly find a role with the Razorbacks.

Karim Rtail

Rtail has been dealing with an injured back and did not participate in the open practice. There is no timetable for his return, but Calipari expressed optimism he could accomplish the necessary conditioning to get on the practice floor when the Hogs begin practices in September.

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Calipari provided a brief scouting report on the Lebanese forward from his limited action this summer.

“He is a perimeter three man,” he said. “Could he place him four? Yes, but he’s not that physical. Shoots it pretty good.”

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 



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Arkansas

Vrba Heads to Orlando for ITA Singles Championships

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Vrba Heads to Orlando for ITA Singles Championships



FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team will have a representative at the ITA Singles Championships for the first time since 2022, as Jakub Vrba takes part in the tournament after qualifying through the ITA Central Sectional Championships. The last Razorback to reach this feat was Alex Reco.

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Vrba has posted a 9-3 record in ITA singles events, including five wins against ranked opponents. He collected his highest ranked victory of the fall after a win against No. 30 Alexander Bernard (Ohio State). Vrba started the preseason ITA rankings at No. 123 and navigated his way through multiple qualifying tournaments to earn his bid to the NCAA Singles Championships.

No. 123 Vrba will take on No. 49 Peter Benjamin Privara (Harvard) on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 a.m. CT in the Round of 64.

The tournament will take place at the UTSA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., with a total of 64 singles player qualifying for the competition. Singles matches begin on Tuesday, Nov. 18, with one round of play taking place each day of the tournament with the championship match being scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 23.

The NCAA Singles Championships bracket is here and will be updated after results are final each day. Live streaming will be available on ESPN+.

For the latest information on all things Arkansas Men’s Tennis, follow the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Men’s Tennis) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackMTennis).

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Kentucky volleyball clinches another SEC title with Arkansas sweep

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Kentucky volleyball clinches another SEC title with Arkansas sweep


The Kentucky Wildcats volleyball team swept the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday, and completed a sweep of the SEC in the process. The Cats won their 19th straight match 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-12) and finished the regular season with a 22-2 record and 15-0 in the conference. The win gives Kentucky their 9th consecutive SEC championship, edging out the Texas A&M Aggies.

Kentucky jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the first set, then extended the lead with a four-point run that put them up 19-12. Brooklyn DeLeye had six kills and the Cats closed it out 25-16.

The second set was a closer one. Arkansas actually took a 9-8 lead early one, but the Wildcats scored four straight points. They’d lead 19-12 at one point, but the Razorbacks fought back valiantly, cutting into the lead, but ultimately fell 25-20.

Set three wasn’t competitive. Kentucky got out to an 18-12 lead, then scored the final seven points of the set to take the set 25-12, and the match 3-0.

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Eva Hudson had 15 kills in the match to lead the way for the Wildcats, and DeLeye added 13 of her own along with 3 service aces. Kassie O’Brien had 35 assists.

Next up is the SEC Tournament. Kentucky will play on Sunday, Nov. 23 against an opponent yet to be determined. Congratulations on the SEC championship.



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Postgame Thoughts: LSU 23, Arkansas 22

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Postgame Thoughts: LSU 23, Arkansas 22


Of all the LSU football games I’ve seen in my life, that was certainly one of them but the Tigers (6-4, 3-4) won its first game in five weeks, clinched bowl eligibility, and held off Arkansas by the slimmest of margins Saturday morning in Tiger Stadium.

Frank Wilson got his first win as interim head coach of the Tigers, while Michael Van Buren, making his first start as quarterback for LSU in place of an injured Garrett Nussmeier, made enough plays with his arms and legs to win. Did he perform well enough to be the clear-cut, unquestioned QB1 for the Tigers heading into 2026? Well…let’s revisit that later.

Maybe it was the early start, but LSU looked completely disinterested in the first quarter of today’s game. Arkansas moved right down the field on the game’s opening drive, but fumbled a toss dive on 3rd and 1 deep in LSU territory to squander that early opportunity.

The Hogs wouldn’t have to mourn the missed chance however, as Arkansas forced an LSU three and out on its opening possession, blocked a Grant Chadwick punt, and recovered it for a touchdown to go up 7-0.

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LSU went three and out its second time possessing the ball, and Arkansas’ offense marched methodically down the field to go up 14-0.

To LSU’s credit, the Tiger offense responded with three straight scoring drives, using a touchdown and two field goals to chip away and make it a 14-13 game. Get this, the Tigers were able to do that largely by “running” the ball, which is a foreign concept but something that maybe ought to have been explored more earlier this season. The tandem of Harlem Berry and Caden Durham carried the ball 23 times for 117 yards, and as a team LSU finished with 155 yards rushing.

While the LSU offense chipped away and away and eventually gained the lead, the only reason they were able to do so was because the Tiger defense made some great adjustments after the first quarter. They got some help from Arkansas (two interceptions, a failed fourth and goal from the 1 and a missed 48-yard field goal that would have given the Razorbacks a late lead) but only allowed one scoring drive over Arkansas’ final eight possessions. LSU may be a bad team, but Arkansas is an all caps B A D team and that showed up today.

Stop me when you’ve heard this one before: Harold Perkins terrorized Arkansas’ offense. Perkins had his best game of the season with four tackles, a sack, 2.5 TFLs, and also intercepted a pass, that LSU was able to turn into three points.

Did Michael Van Buren do enough to earn the starting job for next season? Maybe, maybe not. The numbers look a lot better than the eye test would tell you (21 of 31 for 221 yards, one touchdown and no picks) but the bulk of those completions were at or near the line of scrimmage. Van Buren was an okayish 6 of 12 on passes beyond 10 yards, and was also sacked four times. But the whole offensive operation is so rotten (the scheme, the offensive line) that I think Van Buren probably did as well as he possibly could given the circumstances; and, if nothing else, it was nice watching a healthy quarterback. Would LSU still be a 6-4 team if the change at quarterback were made sooner? We’ll never know for sure, because the offensive line and play calling is just so bad, but I think things would look a little better. Maybe not “CFP Contender” better, but not…wherever we are now.

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The LSU and Arkansas game almost always plays out like today (derogatory) and in this year’s edition LSU made just enough plays to keep The Boot in The Boot.



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