Jerry@JerryScoop469
Day 17 of breaking down each CBB roster in my Top 25. Next up is the Arkansas Razorbacks
Projected Starters:
PG Jordan Smith Jr. 5 ⭐️ Freshmen
SG Jeremiah Wilkinson 17.4/2.0/1.7 41 FG% (Georgia)
SF Billy Richmond III 11.2/4.3/2 56.3 FG%
PF Miikka Muurinen 5 ⭐️ Freshmen
C Cooper Bowser 13.8/5.9/1.8 76.6 FG% (Furman)
Bench:
G/F Abdou Toure 5 ⭐️ Freshmen
F JJ Andrews 5 ⭐️ Freshmen
G Isaiah Sealy Returnee
C Ilia Frolov (Russia)
G Davion Thompson 4 ⭐️ Freshmen
C Paulo Semedo Returnee
C Maper Maker 4 ⭐️ Freshmen
Recap of last season and initial analysis:
Arkansas won the SEC Tournament last season off the back of Darius Acuff Jr. After beating a pair of double digit seeds in the first weekend they were blown out in the Sweet 16 by Arizona. This season’s team is arguably more well rounded, however I am not sure they have a star like Acuff who elevated last season’s team really high.
Retention:
Calipari isn’t necessarily known for retention. This team only retains 3 players from last season. Billy Richmond really came alive after the injury to Karter Knox in February, id expect a huge Junior season from him. He brings tons of athleticism and is great defensively, he needs to work on his 3pt shot though. Isaiah Sealy was a 4 ⭐️ recruit in last year’s class. He didnt contribute much as a freshmen and suffered an injury this offseason with an unknown timeline so it is unknown what his role will be as a Sophomore. Paulo Semedo is 7’1 and brings size but im not sure he will play.
Incoming Freshman:
As usual for Coach Cal he is bringing in a loaded freshman class. 7 of them this year if you include Ilia Frolov from Russia. Jordan Smith Jr. is a dynamic 6’2 guard who is very strong at 200 pounds. He will do a little bit of everything for the Razorbacks bringing scoring, playmaking, and rebounding plus great defense. He does have a rather poor 3pt shot so that needs work. Miikka Muurinen is the next one, he is very polarizing to me. He spent last season in Europe and allegedly quit on his team and has major attitude issues. The upside with him is he is a 6’11 hyper athletic forward who can score at all 3 levels. Abdou Toure and JJ Andrews are both athletic physical wings who can score effectively. Davion Thompson is a reclass PG, his frame is rather small at 6’2 170 but he will bring good depth to the backup PG position. Maper Maker is a 4 ⭐️ Freshmen big at 7 foot who will bring some center depth and rim protection. The last one is the most recent pickup in Ilia Frolov. He is a stretch big who will bring scoring from 3 levels and solid rebounding.
Transfers:
Arkansas is only bringing in 2 transfers for this season. The first one is Jeremiah Wilkinson from Georgia. He is a little small at 6’1 but is a great scorer from all 3 levels. He does take high volume though so there is a chance he can shoot you out of a game from time to time. I also think his volume should decrease slightly playing with better players so that should help his overall efficiency numbers. The other transfer is Cooper Bowser from Furman. He is an interior only big who is a very efficient scorer at the rim shooting 76.6% last season. He is a solid rebounder and shot blocker as well but the question with him is can he make the adjustment from the SoCon to the SEC?
Expectations:
This Arkansas team to me might be one of Cal’s weaker teams in the last decade but they still have plenty of talent to make noise in the SEC and if players like Cooper Bowser and Miikka Muurinen can effectively contribute this group should find themselves in a top 4-6 SEC spot at season’s end. I am not sure this team has what it takes to make the Final Four however with a lack of perimeter shooting and obviously the question will always loom with the lack of experience from Calipari’s teams.
Strengths:
-Athleticism
-Defense
-Wing Depth
Weaknesses:
-Perimeter shooting
-Front Court Production
-Inexperience
Floor:
R64
Ceiling:
Elite 8
