Arkansas
John Calipari’s first impressions on Arkansas basketball freshmen in summer practices
Should the NCAA transfer portal open before the end of March Madness?
Rick Pitino, John Calipari and even J.J. Watt sound off on the transfer portal opening during the NCAA Tournament.
Sports Seriously
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Winthrop Eagles (2-2) at Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1)
Fayetteville, Arkansas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Razorbacks -20.5; over/under is 167.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 Arkansas hosts Winthrop after Darius Acuff Jr. scored 20 points in Arkansas’ 79-75 victory over the Samford Bulldogs.
Arkansas went 22-14 overall last season while going 13-4 at home. The Razorbacks averaged 76.8 points per game last season, 35.7 in the paint, 14.1 off of turnovers and 12.2 on fast breaks.
Winthrop went 23-11 overall a season ago while going 5-8 on the road. The Eagles averaged 84.7 points per game while shooting 47.4% from the field and 34.2% from 3-point distance last season.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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.
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).
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.
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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