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The chuck and Bo show this morning

I don’t know how many on here listen to it on their way to work/school, but they couldn’t fathom how people couldn’t have the mid season grade as an A or better, post Tennessee I would have them around a B to B+ with the FG unit being the only reason they don’t have an A for me (you have to be better than 61%). Bo was a pretentious ass most of the show

Pair of Arkansas signees named McDonald's All-Americans

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From @DanielFair:

Two signees in Arkansas basketball’s 2025 recruiting class were named to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game rosters Monday.

Shooting guard Meleek Thomas and point guard Darius Acuff Jr. found their names among the nation’s best players in the class. They’re ranked No. 7 and No. 13 in the nation, respectively, according to Rivals.

The McDonald’s All-American Game will be played on April 1 at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York. The two future Razorbacks will be pitted against each other, as Acuff was selected to the East team and Thomas was selected to the West team.

Along with the two signees, one priority target — five-star forward Nate Ament — was also named a McDonald’s All-American. He’ll play alongside Acuff with the East team.

Thomas plays for the City Reaperz in the Overtime Elite system and has put on a show this season. He’s averaging 26.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, and has scored over 30 points six times.

The 6-foot-4, 171-pound scorer was the second and most recent commitment to the Razorbacks, and he went public with his decision on Nov. 11. He chose Arkansas over a Top 5 that included Pittsburgh, UConn, Alabama and Kansas State.

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Acuff plays for IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and leads the team in scoring at 21.6 points per game on 42% shooting. He also leads the team in assists at 5.33 per game.

A native of Michigan, Acuff was the first domino to fall in Arkansas' 2025 class. He chose the Hogs on July 26 over offers from Kansas, Michigan, UConn, Alabama and many others.

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Arkansas' 2025 class also includes four-star Springdale native Isaiah Sealy, and as mentioned above, head coach John Calipari is still pursuing five-star forward Nate Ament as well as several other targets.

Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest developments in Arkansas basketball's 2025 class.

Calipari needs patience from Richmond in point guard role

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Arkansas has a point guard problem, one that can be partially solved if freshman Billy Richmond practices patience and slows his game down occasionally.

Richmond's slight role increase at the lead-man position isn't necessarily ideal, but Boogie Fland's right thumb injury has left coach John Calipari no other choice.

For the most part, Richmond's fast-playing pace is a positive on the defensive side — his 13.5 defensive rebounding percentage, according to KenPom, ranks best for Arkansas guards not named Karter Knox (14.0), his 2.4 block percentage is better than any guard on the team and his 2.4 steal percentage falls just behind Adou Thero (3.8), Trevon Brazile (2.5) and Fland (2.5) — but that doesn't always translate on the other end of the court.

That's why, as much as possible, Calipari opts to play the experienced DJ Wagner at point guard. Wagner averages 34.4 minutes per game and leads the Razorbacks in percentage of minutes played (85.8), with the next closest healthy Hog being Thiero at 67.6%.

Playing that frequently isn't sustainable for the entire season, which is precisely why Calipari needs Richmond to stop playing 100 miles per hour at all times.

"I've been talking with Billy, I want Billy to play more, he's got to slow down," Calipari said during his coach show Monday. "You know what I'm saying? Defensively and rebounding (are great) — but offensively, you got to slow down my man. Slow your mind, be more patient, because I'm telling you, Billy impacts the game. He impacts the game. And so, he could be in there as our point guard, he really can."

Richmond's freakish athleticism and aggressiveness are best served when he finds himself one-on-one with a defender or when a hole opens up in an opponent's defense, but too often he finds himself with his head down putting up a tough shot in traffic, which results in a miss, block or turnover.

Developing an outside shot will go a long way in opening up Richmond's game, but that may be a year away from fully taking effect. This season, Richmond has shot (and missed) his three three-point attempts, but is still hitting field goals at a 56.7% clip.

In 14.5 minutes per game, the Tennessee native is averaging 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.8 turnovers.

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A perfect example of Richmond's tenacity going wrong came in Arkansas' latest loss to Oklahoma. With the Hogs up 50-47 and less than 10 minutes to go, Richmond caught a pass on the right wing, drove forward and attempted to kick the ball to big man Zvonimir Ivisic, who was just a few feet away from him on the baseline. The pass wasn't on point, and it tipped off of Ivisic's hand out of bounds as a result.

Calipari then subbed Richmond out for the final stretch, and the 6-foot-5 guard finished 0-of-3 from the field with a turnover against the Sooners.

"Now the play with he and (Big) Z, you just played too fast," Calipari said Saturday. "Just slow down. And the same in transition, where you’re going so fast the officials aren’t going to give you those calls. Just slow down. But I’m telling you the way (Richmond) defends and the things...he’s got to be on the floor more. He just does."

Not all is bad for Richmond though. His 12-point outing on 6-of-9 shooting against a good Illinois team on Nov. 28 is evidence that Richmond can find a rhythm that matches both his tempo and the one Calipari needs, but repeating that in SEC play is a different beast.

Richmond's next opportunity will come on the road against the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and it will air on ESPN.

Baseball Can Souza, Helfrick make Year 2 jump?

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For Arkansas baseball to thrive in 2025, it will need big jumps from expected everyday cornerstone Year 2 contributors like infielder Nolan Souza and catcher Ryder Helfrick.

The two sophomores are coming off a 2024 campaign that saw flashes of excellence but a lack of consistency. Souza hit for a .255 batting average with seven home runs and seven doubles, but he also struck out 38 times with 18 walks. Helfrick mashed three long balls and three doubles, but ended up with a miniscule .179 average by season's end.

Once Arkansas was eliminated in its own home regional, Souza and Helfrick went off to get more at-bats in summer ball. For the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League, Souza hit .271 with six extra-base hits, seven stolen bases and a much-improved 14 punchouts to 18 walks. Helfrick raked for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod League, where he was named an All-Star after tying for the lead in home runs (11) with 37 RBIs and a .261 average.

Now back in Fayetteville for his 23rd season, coach Dave Van Horn said he's expecting a mental move-up for the "penciled-in starters."

"I've said this for many years, and I've coached at Division II level, junior college level, mid-majors, Division I, and what I've seen over the years is that the biggest jump a player makes is between their freshman and sophomore year," Van Horn said Jan. 15. "It's not always that way, but I'm just going to say the majority of them. They come in, they're young, they're talented, they feel their way through their freshman year. Then they get to the point mentally where it's like, 'I want to play. I don't like not playing, and I want to be a guy.'

"They go out, summer ball, and then they come back in the fall and they're confident. You can just really tell a difference in them physically. They start to move on from high school senior to young man to growing into a man. They just get stronger, and they're mentally better. Now the talent starts to kick in, and that's what I've seen with (Souza and Helfrick)."

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According to stats compiled by the media, Souza slashed .259/.432/.481 with two home runs, 10 strikeouts and nine walks during fall ball. In the Diamond Hogs' fall scrimmages against Oklahoma State, Souza hit 3-of-8 (.375 AVG) with only one punchout.

"Souza, he's physical," Van Horn said. "He's got all the tools. He can hit it as far as anybody, can run as fast as anybody, can throw with anybody. He's what you're looking for. He's the type of guy athletically that, if he wasn't playing baseball, I could see him playing tight end. He's athletic enough to be a wide receiver at the Division I level. I mean, this is an athletic kid."

Arkansas' projected starting catcher continued his torrid pace in the fall, as Helfrick hit for a .364 average in 33 at-bats with 26 total bases and just three Ks. Versus the Cowboys, Helfrick gathered one hit in six at-bats but also walked twice.

"Helfrick is super strong, he's got power," Van Horn said. "He's a good leader. He's an outstanding receiver, and he was the best receiver on the team last year, but he was really young. The bat never kicked in all the way, but we DH'd him because of what we saw and what we knew, and we were trying to get ready for the future."

In two of the three spring preseason intrasquad scrimmages so far (HawgBeat didn't attend Saturday), Helfrick caught and Souza played at second base in both games, respectively. According to the GameChanger app, Souza hit 3-for-5 (.600) and Helfrick hit 1-of-6 in the three scrimmages combined.

During Friday's game, Souza collected a hit and was eventually driven in by Helfrick on a sacrifice fly.

"(With) Souza, it wasn't a straight up hit and run, it was more of just a steal," Van Horn said Friday. "He got a pitch and hit it in the hole and obviously he stole a couple bases for us. I thought Helfrick did a good job. When Souza stole third, Helfrick let a pitch go right down the middle because he saw what a great jump (Souza) had. Just a good baseball play, and then the next pitch (Helfrick) hits a sac-fly. That's the kind of stuff that wins games."

Arkansas will open its season Friday, Feb. 14, against Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

2026 Louisiana defensive tackle commits to Arkansas

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Class of 2026 Louisiana defensive tackle Ari Slocum has committed to Arkansas, he announced Monday.

The 6-foot-3, 309-pound interior defender visited Fayetteville on Jan. 11 for Junior Day, the same time that Arkansas offered the Union Parish Product. He is currently unrated by Rivals.

Slocum has also received offers from Missouri, Purdue, Houston, Louisiana Tech and others, and he is coming off a visit to the Tigers.

Following Slocum's commitment, the Razorbacks now have nine pledges for their No. 10 ranked class of 2026.

Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for updates on Arkansas' offseason recruiting action.

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Jimenez remains ahead of schedule for Diamond Hogs

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Oregon State transfer pitcher Aiden Jimenezremains ahead of schedule for Arkansas as he works back from Tommy John surgery.

Expected to be part of Oregon State's starting rotation last spring, Jimenez was unable to pitch at all due to a torn UCL that required surgery. The right-hander appeared in 22 games and posted a 5.68 ERA with 35 strikeouts and seven walks as a freshman in 2023.

ALSO READ: Inning-by-Inning Recap - Arkansas Baseball Scrimmage (1/26)

When Jimenez committed to the Razorbacks and head coach Dave Van Horn back in June, it was unclear whether or not the 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt sophomore would be available to pitch this spring.

After not participating during the fall schedule, Jimenez was one of eight pitchers to throwFriday afternoon during an intrasquad scrimmage at Baum-Walker Stadium, which was the Diamond Hogs' first live action this year. The Elk Grove, California, native gave up a solo home run to freshman Gabe Fraser, but struck out the other three batters he faced in a rather impressive one inning of action.

"Throws the ball downhill," Van Horn told reporters Friday. "Made one mistake and he got hammered. Other than that, he was really good. He's got a wipeout breaking ball. He didn't even throw his split-finger, which is nasty. Fastball has got a lot of natural tumble sink on it. Everybody is really excited for him. He's a super kid, hard worker and he'll be valuable."

RELATED: Van Horn letting players prove worthy of starting rotation

Van Horn said they didn't initially know in the fall whether or not Jimenez would even be ready to pitch by Opening Day on Feb. 14, but it became clear a couple months back that it was possible.

"We weren't sure when we got him to sign with us even to the (point where) the verbage was basically if you're not ready to pitch this year, we'll get you ready for next year," Van Horn said. "The kid's an incredible worker. I mean, he's not even 12 months out of Tommy John and he's got good stuff. We knew a couple months ago that he was going to be ready for this season."

Jimenez was sitting around 93 miles per hour on his fastball Friday, which was a cold afternoon in Fayetteville, but the righty can reportedly get up to 96 miles per hour. It's safe to say that he would be very useful for an already loaded Arkansas pitching staff.

ALSO READ: Two freshmen pitchers to watch for Arkansas in 2025

"If we can get him back to where he was at Oregon State, we’ll have a jewel, so to speak," Van Horn said Jan. 15. "His role right now would be, I guess it would be wide open. He was a starter there. He could be, probably could be a middle reliever for us to start out, just to see what he could do.

"He was someone that we were hoping we could get him, maybe middle of the season, but it looks like he might be ready more toward the beginning of the season to help us. He’s way ahead of schedule for the surgery he had."

Arkansas will open its season Friday, Feb. 14, against Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

Football Scholarship OL moving on from Arkansas football

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Arkansas scholarship offensive lineman Josh Street is graduating and moving on from the football program, a team spokesperson confirmed to HawgBeat on Wednesday. Street had one more season of eligibility remaining.

A four-year lineman who began his collegiate career as a walk-on, Street was awarded a scholarship by coach Sam Pittman before the beginning of the 2023 season.

The 6-foot-6, 316-pound Bentonville native redshirted during his freshman year in 2021, played all 13 games in 2022 primarily on special teams, saw action in 11 games during the 2023 season and logged 53 offensive snaps across eight games in 2024.

In the 2024 season-opener against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Street played 22 snaps at the center position and finished with a season-high 70.7 offensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Street was also used as an extra offensive lineman at times during the season, plus he also worked a little bit at tight end.

Street's departure leaves Arkansas with 15 expected scholarship offensive lineman entering the 2025 season, according to HawgBeat's count.

HawgBeat also confirmed that walk-on offensive lineman Tommy Varhall and walk-on linebacker Brooks Both are also moving on from the program despite having remaining eligibility.

Be sure to follow along at The Trough premium message board for updates on the Razorbacks' offseason.

Johnell Davis makes strides in loss to Oklahoma

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Arkansas guard Johnell Davis finally seemed to somewhat piece things together Saturday evening with an 18-point performance in the 65-62 loss to Oklahoma at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

The Florida Atlantic transfer, who is reportedly making over $1 million in NIL money, was a key part of a second half comeback that fell just short for the Razorbacks. He scored 11 of his season-high 18 points in the second half and he also added three of his four steals on the evening during the final 20 minutes.

VIDEO: Calipari, Ivisic postgame - Oklahoma 65, Arkansas 62

"I'm with him, and he's getting better," head coach John Calipari said postgame. "There's still some breakdown stuff, but he's getting better. Got to quit thinking so much. And you know, he did some good things. We made nine threes. If you told me we're making nine threes and losing, I'm like, ‘You're nuts,’ but we missed a lot of layups too."

Davis was 5-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-11 from three, plus he hit five of his six free throw attempts. His attempted field goals, threes and free throws were all season-highs in those respective categories.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard was the go-to guy on the final possession for the Razorbacks, as he took a pass from forward Zvonimir Ivisic while driving the basket, but absorbed contact and couldn't get a solid shot up with the Hogs down 63-62 with seven seconds left.

"We messed it up a little bit," Ivisic said of the final play. "I don’t know, concentration or something. I don’t even know. We still fough. As coach KP (Kenny Payne) said, winning is fragile. I think we are on the right track, we just got a little bit unlucky in the end."

BOX SCORE: Oklahoma 65, Arkansas 62

It was Davis who hit a huge 3-pointer with 2:13 left on the clock in the second half to tie the game at 62-62. That shot was named "Play of the Game" on the Razorback Sports Network postgame radio broadcast, but it was a free throw with 1:15 on the clock by Oklahoma's Jalon Moore that put the Sooners up by one, and then Moore drove the court for a last-second dunk to make the final score 65-62.

Davis is averaging 8.4 points per game this season and he's shooting a career-low 38.8% from the field. His free throw percentage of 94.1% is a career-high, but he's only taken 17 attempts from the charity stripe so far this season after taking 154 free throw attempts last year.

The Razorbacks have a full week off ahead of Calipari's big return to Lexington, Kentucky, for a matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena next Saturday. Tipoff for that showdown is set for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Baseball Arkansas outfielder Logan Maxwell can 'flat-out hit'

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(Photo Credit: Arkansas Athletics)

The last time Logan Maxwell played a real game at Baum-Walker Stadium, he was helping the TCU Horned Frogs win the Fayetteville Regional in June 2023.

Two years later, Maxwell will be sporting Razorback red instead of purple this spring. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound outfielder from Lima, Ohio, signed with Arkansas over the offseason out of the transfer portal after spending three seasons with the Horned Frogs.

Maxwell started 46 games and recorded a career-best .335 batting average as a junior last season at TCU. He also set career-bests with 12 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 25 RBI, 30 walks (just 23 strikeouts) and 10 stolen bases.

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said in the fall that Maxwell can "flat-out hit."

"Put on about, I don’t know, 12, 15 pounds since he’s been here," Van Horn said Jan. 15. "Getting strong. Hitting for a lot more power, but he still is just a really good hitter. You watch our batting practice, he squares up almost everything that comes his way."

During the Oct. 4 annual Fall Classic at Baum-Walker Stadium, Maxwell went 2-for-2 at the plate with three runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base. According to stats compiled by local media, Maxwell hit for a .313 average in the fall with 10 hits, two doubles, one home run, three RBI and eight runs scored across 32 at bats.

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Maxwell appeared in 38 games and started 33 as a sophomore for TCU in 2023, when he hit for a .300 average with six doubles and two home runs. He posted a 1.000 fielding percentage over the past two seasons primarily in left field.

In two of the three preseason intrasquad scrimmages so far (HawgBeat didn't attend Saturday), Maxwell played in left field Sunday and right field Friday, while batting third and second, respectively, in the lineup that featured the projected starters.

Maxwell and Florida Gulf Coast transfer Charles Davalan are pretty set in stone as starters in the outfield, with the third spot still up in the air. JUCO transfer Justin Thomas Jr. has a solid shot to play early, plus Kendall Diggs is back from injury, although Diggs has been at first base and designated hitter to start preseason scrimmages.

"I already know (Diggs) can play outfield," Van Horn said Friday. "Maybe figuring it out. I want to get an offensive first baseman, but at the same time, try to get another outfielder in the outfield. Thomas, maybe. The other two have pretty much won their spots in the fall, but anything can happen. Just trying to be more athletic."

Arkansas will open its season Friday, Feb. 14, against Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

For those interested, Maxwell had two at bats against Arkansas in the 2023 Fayetteville Regional and he failed to record a hit in either.
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Hoops On this day: Hogs beat Kentucky on Super Bowl Sunday


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On this day 30 years ago, Arkansas guard Scotty Thurman hit an 18-foot jump shot with 10.6 seconds remaining to knock off then-No. 5 Kentucky, 94-92, on Super Bowl Sunday. It gave the Razorbacks their 16th win on the season en route to another 30-plus win campaign for head coach Nolan Richardson and then-No. 9 Arkansas.

The matchup was just the second time the Kentucky Wildcats ever played in Fayetteville, and according to the University of Arkansas athletics website, the game was of such notoriety that CBS purposefully moved the game to Super Bowl Sunday to ensure a larger audience by making it a lead-in to the Super Bowl.

Halfway through the season, the Razorbacks already had more losses than they did the entire season prior. Of course, the season prior Arkansas won the national championship over Duke thanks, in large part, to a late shot from Thurman. While the Razorbacks returned the core group from that championship-winning team, they struggled a bit early in that 1994-1995 season.

Still, despite some early losses, Arkansas was a talented and feared squad, with the highest of expectations from fans and pundits alike. Billy Packer, an announcer on the call for the Super Bowl Sunday showdown, even hinted during the matchup that Arkansas and Kentucky could be seeing each other in the national title game later that same season.

That comment alone showed the type of matchup the public was about to witness, and it delivered. Packer, who had a tenuous relationship with Richardson at best, caught the ire of the head coach just under a year prior to this matchup.

In a postgame interview after the Razorbacks defeated Arizona in the Final Four, Richardson and Packer went at it. The Arkansas Times reported retroactively that the exchange went something like: "Packer mentioned to Nolan that he thought the turning point of the game was when Corey Beck re-entered the second half after sitting out much of it with foul trouble. Nolan snarled something like, 'Wow. What insight, Billy. I mean, a blind man could have seen that.'"

Packer responded, "I think that’s a slam at me." To which Richardson replied, "I guarantee that it is."

Later, Packer congratulated the head coach for winning the national championship game over Duke, to which Richardson reportedly replied, "It's about time you do."

The Arkansas and Kentucky matchup had every bit of the same feel as a national championship game. Two top-10 teams with two national championship-winning head coaches (Rick Pitino would not win his first national championship until a year later in 1996) and a budding rivalry between two completely different types of programs.

It was a back-and-forth affair, with the Wildcats leading by eight early, 24-16, but Arkansas stormed back only for Kentucky to expand its lead again. Back-to-back threes by Tony Delk gave the Wildcats a 39-31 advantage as he accounted for 17 of Kentucky's points to that point.

The Razorbacks fell behind 42-33 with just under four minutes remaining in the first half, but then came a blitz from the prgoram that coined the term "40 Minutes of Hell." Back-to-back threes by Thurman and Dwight Stewart pulled Arkansas within two, trailing just 44-42. A halfcourt heave as time expired from Reggie Garrett gave the Razorbacks a 49-47 halftime lead, finishing the half on a 16-5 run in under four minutes of play.

The second half was the Thurman and Corliss Williamson show for Arkansas, as the Razorbacks opened the half with a "Big Nasty" and-one and a Thurman three. Williamson forced a steal, which led Packer to proclaim him as having "the best hands in college basketball." He passed the ball up to point guard Corey Beck to advance the ball, who then gave it ball to Williamson at the three-point line, as he drove by his defender and finished at the rim. Bud Walton Arena erupted and forced a Pitino timeout with the Hogs leading 57-53.

Arkansas expanded its lead to six, 66-60, but a pair of Wildcat threes tied the game right back up. The Razorbacks kept attacking the paint in the second half, scoring inside at will behind Williamson, Stewart and Darnell Robinson.

Much of the second half was a back and forth affair with multiple ties and lead changes. The Razorbacks took an 88-84 lead with 3:55 remaining in the game off a Thurman three, but the Wildcats answered with a layup from big man and current Wildcat head coach Mark Pope.

Kentucky took a 92-91 lead off a Walter McCarty offensive rebound and putback with just 23.9 seconds remaining in the game. Beck brought the ball up the floor and initiated the offense. Richardson elected not to use his one remaining timeout. A pass to McDaniel on the wing, then to Thurman curling at the top of the key, two bounces, pull-up jumpshot... it hit the bottom of the net with 10.6 seconds remaining.

Wildcat guard Jeff Sheppard drove right, tried to put up a baseline runner, but was stripped by Clint McDaniel, who was fouled with 0.6 seconds left. McDaniel hit the first free throw, missed the second, and a full-court heave didn't have a chance. The Razorbacks held on and knocked off the Wildcats.

Jim Nantz, who was also on the call, concluded, "We see Scotty Thurman hit another game-winner."

Williamson finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while Thurman added 22 points, four rebounds and two assists. Beck chipped in eight points, eight assists and six rebounds.

On the other end, Delk finished with 31 points, McCarty had 16, Sheppard scored 14 and Rhodes finished with 11 points. Current Kentucky head coach Mark Pope finished with five points.

The listed attendance for the game was 20,298, according to HogStats.com, which is 1,098 more than the current capacity of 19,200. The victory kicked Arkansas into another gear on the season, as it lost just three more games: on the road at Mississippi State, 83-62, an overtime loss to the same Kentucky team in the SEC Tournament championship, 95-93, and then in the national championship game against UCLA, 89-78.

Packer was correct that this matchup could be a precursor to the national championship that year, but only the Razorbacks made it all the way to the title game. The Wildcats won the title the very next year.

Diggs touts Arkansas bats: 'Most talented lineup I've ever seen'

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Arkansas senior Kendall Diggs has seen his fair share of daunting batting orders around the SEC, but where does the Diamond Hogs' 2025 lineup stack up in comparison?

In his most recent HOGS+ interview with Quinn Grovey and Matt Zimmerman, Diggs said the Razorbacks have the most talented lineup he's ever seen.

“I do see the production coming," Diggs said. "I feel like that’s going to be a common case for years to come. I think it’s kind of where our game is now with so many guys coming in every single year. But, we’ve got guys who can run, guys that can bunt, guys that can hit it over the fence and I think they’re going to utilize that a lot more this year, which is awesome.”

Diggs, who is 100% cleared back from a torn labrum injury suffered in early 2024, according to coach Dave Van Horn, could push for a spot at first base or in the corner outfield.

During Arkansas' scrimmage Friday, Diggs played first base and didn't record a hit in two at-bats. The veteran lefty was hitting .357 before his injury in March last year, but he finished his junior campaign with a lowly .229 batting average.

Should Diggs win the starting job in the outfield, he'll likely roam the grass of Baum-Walker Stadium with 'electric' transfer Charles Davalan, nicknamed 'Chuck'.

“I love watching Charles Davalan swing the bat man, he’s electric to watch," Diggs said. "Chuck, he’s from Canada, he’s my guy. He was at Florida Gulf Coast before, another outfielder, left-handed bat, throws righty. Not a big guy, but he’s got some real, real juice with the bat. He can run.

"Plays with a lot of energy too, I think that’s why I enjoy watching him play. I remember watching his first AB and I said, ‘Woah, this kid is going to be a stud,’ and he just kept going. So yeah, I think Chuck will probably be out there strolling center field for us and I’d say that’s my guy to watch."

What isn't expected to change much for Arkansas is the prowess of its pitching staff, which features mutiple Preseason All-Americans and the Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year in righty Gabe Gaeckle, according to Baseball America.

“Pitching-wise, I’d say the quality and the depth together, is the best I’ve ever seen, if that makes sense," Diggs said. "I mean, you can go 12, 13 guys down the line and it’s like, that dude can start at another SEC school. You know, we had Hagen, who was unbelievable right, and it’s like, that was amazing.

"But I just feel like, even considering last year, I feel like the quality of the depth, you go all the way down the line and it’s like, geez, we got some arms right now. It’s an exciting thing and it’s a good problem to have. It’s really promising and exciting for sure.”

The Razorbacks will open their season Friday, Feb. 14, against Washington State at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.

More HawgBeat Arkansas Baseball Content​


- Arkansas preseason odds to win College World Series

- Van Horn talks 2025 Diamond Hogs: 'They're on a mission'

- Razorbacks 'have a jewel' in Oregon State transfer pitcher

- Diamond Hogs to lean on Ohio State transfer pitcher

- Dylan Carter hoping for strong super senior season

- Freshman outfielder to know in 2025

- Canadian outfielder gives Diamond Hogs speed

- Diggs '100% cleared' for big return to Arkansas lineup

- Arkansas ranked No. 5 in D1Baseball preseason poll

Gene Keady

Was watching a youtube video on the Triplets and there is an interview with Coach Sutton and he remarks that he just had a great recruiting season and just hired his 2nd assistant Gene Keady. I had no idea that he coached at Arkansas. Anyone know if we ever tried to hire him from Purdue?

I love learning new things about Razorback History.
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