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For all of the mouth breathers for the university (Bo, Chuck, Wally, etc) to talk down to the fanbase and tell us we should be happy to be going to the Elmers Glue Bowl, and that Arkansas shouldn’t expect more.

The next hire may not do anything. But I’d rather take another shot, then continue with proven mediocrity.

Good morning from Fayetteville, where the Arkansas Razorbacks (5-4, 3-3 SEC) will once again face Texas (8-1, 4-1 SEC) as a conference opponent. Kickoff at DWRRS is set for 11 a.m. on ABC.

I’m home taking care of a sick dog unfortunately, but @RileyMcFerran is on site for coverage and @DanielFair is back from a recent rip.

Plenty of coverage here in the thread, plus postgame coverage to follow.

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FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1, 0-0 SEC) are back in action Monday night as they are set to host the Pacific Tigers (3-2, 0-0 WCC) inside Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas comes into the game after sneaking past Troy last Tuesday, while the Tigers' last game was a three-point loss to Northern Arizona on Thursday of last week.

In the victory over the Trojans, the Razorbacks shot 10-of-23 from distance, a trend reversal from their recent shooting performances. Seven of those makes came from forwards Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic, however, which is why head coach John Calipari said he wants to prioritize driving the ball to the rim.

“The way we drive the ball, if it’s contested at all, you should never shoot it,” Calipari said after the win. “We’re not a great three-point shooting team. If it’s contested at all, you should drive the ball.”

Both Arkansas and Pacific have first-year head coaches this season, though that's about the only thing Calipari and Pacific head coach Dave Smart have in common. Smart is at Pacific after one season as an assistant coach at Texas Tech and a long tenure as a small-college head coach in Canada, while Calipari is at Arkansas, of course, after a 15-year stint at Kentucky.

Much like other small schools, Pacific shoots at a high clip from deep. Through five games this season, one of every three field goal attempts is from beyond the arc, and the Tigers are shooting an average of 30.9% from long range.

Arkansas should be able to out-athlete Pacific in this matchup and use its hounding defense to push the pace and force turnovers, of which the Tigers average 11.8 per game. Against Northern Arizona, Pacific turned it over a whopping 17 times.

That fact should also be prevalent on the glass as well, regardless of the status of forward Trevon Brazile and center Jonas Aidoo, who both did not play in the second half against Troy last week. In Pacific's last two games (Hawaii and Northern Arizona), the Tigers have been out rebounded 80-71.

Below are details on how to watch, links to stream and links to all of our coverage leading up to the game...

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How to Watch/Listen​

Who: No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Pacific Tigers (3-2, 0-0 WCC)

When: Monday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. CT

Where: Bud Walton Arena — Fayetteville, Arkansas

TV/Stream: SEC Network+/ESPN+

Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)

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Catch Up On HawgBeat's Arkansas Basketball Content​

— In-state four-star Isaiah Sealy signs with Arkansas
— Calipari calls Thiero top-10 player in country
— Ivisic puts up historic numbers in win over Troy
— Calipari updates Aidoo, Brazile status after second half no-show
— Arkansas picks up 65-49 win over Troy
— Five-star guard Meleek Thomas commits to Arkansas
— Film study: What Arkansas’ getting in five-star Meleek Thomas

I’m sure he’d come over for six or 10 million.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman provided a health update for senior defensive end Landon Jackson following the Razorbacks' 28-21 loss to Missouri on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Jackson, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound pass-rusher from Texas, went down at the 1:07 minute mark in the second quarter after assisting on a routine tackle. Jackson was seen moving both of his legs on the TV broadcast, but remained relatively still for around 12 minutes until a cart removed him from the field.

On his way out, Jackson gave a thumbs up to his teammates. The veteran had notched five total tackles against Missouri up to that point. SEC Network sideline reporter Alyssa Lang gave a positive update on Jackson from Arkansas Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek early in the third quarter.

"(Landon) has movement in his extremities, he was talking and the hospital visit is because he was feeling pain in his neck," Lang reported. "Using the word precautionary to get all of that checked out."

Following the game, Pittman said Jackson had been released from the hospital and was back with the team.

"I did want to say that Landon Jackson is back in the locker room and doing well," Pittman said after the game. "He's been released, so that was great news."

In 12 games, Jackson totaled 49 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and three defended passes. His best performance came against Texas A&M on Sept. 28, when he was credited with eight total tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks.

Why can’t teams put in some sort of performance clause? In real life you have that

I would like to officially welcome Brody Lusk to the HawgBeat staff as a social media specialist and recruiting insider.

Brody has recently been working with the Oklahoma Rivals site — OUInsider — running their socials and YouTube, plus he covered basketball and some recruiting.

We have a need to grow our brand following on social media — and Brody has done a great job with that at OUInsider (just look at their X page). We also have more than 11,000 subscribers on YouTube and we need to take advantage of that following more with improved and consistent video content — which is for YOU.

As we enter into the portal season and basketball season continues to roll along, there’s no other place you’ll find better coverage than here. I truly believe our content is high-quality and more carefully created than anyone you’ll find.

We take the time and effort to put out good written content with quality photos from our many great photographers. We provide coverage that is as non-biased as possible and as plugged-in as you’ll find (as much as some might not think so…)

With Brody being located in Northwest Arkansas, this hire is another step towards ensuring the coverage on this website is as good as possible. Very excited about this addition, so please welcome him!

You can follow him on X here:

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From @DanielFair:

FAYETTEVILLE — The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1, 0-0 SEC) are set to host the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (2-6, 0-0 MEAC) on Monday night at Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas and Maryland-Eastern Shore will be meeting for the second time ever with the last matchup coming in 2001 under legendary head coach Nolan Richardson.

That game was played in Fayetteville and the Razorbacks took home a 100-40 victory. Joe Johnson and Jannero Pargo were the two leading scorers for the Hogs with 14 a piece, and seven Razorbacks scored in double figures.

The Razorbacks come into Monday's game on a three-game winning streak by notching victories against the Pacific Tigers and Little Rock Trojans last week, and the Troy Trojans on Nov. 13.

Maryland-Eastern Shore, on the other hand, has dropped two straight games to Murray State and Illinois — the latter of which the Hogs will face Thursday. All six of the Hawks' losses have come on the road, with their only wins coming against Penn State-Schuylkill and Gallaudet University.

Arkansas has had depth concerns for several games now, and with the status of center Jonas Aidoo and forward Trevon Brazile up in the air, it’s possible this could be another game with a shortened rotation that only features seven players.

That said, if the Razorbacks want to cruise to an easy win from tipoff to final horn, this is the game to do it. The Hawks rank near the bottom of KenPom’s rankings at 358th, just six spots above dead last. They average 74.8 points per game, but it's worth noting that the level of competition skews that number. Against just Division I teams, the Hawks only average 64 points per game and that number drops to just 51.5 against high-major teams.

Arkansas will be the second SEC opponent the Hawks will face this season, as they faced Vanderbilt in the season opener, a game Maryland-Eastern Shore lost 102-63.

Below are details on how to watch, links to stream and links to all of our coverage leading up to the game...

How to Watch/Listen​

Who: No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (2-6, 0-0 MEAC)
When: Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. CT
Where: Bud Walton Arena — Fayetteville, Arkansas
TV/Stream: SEC+
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network(Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)

Catch up on HawgBeat’s Arkansas Basketball Content​

— Postgame Grades: Looking at Arkansas’ win over Little Rock
— Arkansas’ win over Little Rock a tale of two halves
— Takeaways from No. 20 Arkansas' win over Little Rock
— Steals, slams winning combo for Hoop Hogs against Little Rock
— Social media reacts to Arkansas' 79-67 win over Little Rock

The Arkansas Razorbacks (5-2, 0-0 SEC) will hit the road for the SEC/ACC Challenge against the Miami Hurricanes (3-4, 0-0 ACC) on Tuesday night.

The Razorbacks have had their struggles against high-major teams with losses to Baylor last month and Illinois last week, but the Hurricanes have had an even rougher go of it recently. Miami is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, with the most recent loss coming at the hands of Charleston Southern on Saturday.

This will be the second year in a row that Arkansas head coach John Calipari will face off against Miami, as Kentucky beat the Hurricanes 95-73 with Calipari at the helm in Lexington last year.

This is only the second meeting between Arkansas and Miami, as the two last squared off in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, with Miami taking home the win 75-71 despite a furious comeback effort by the Hogs, who were led by legendary head coach Nolan Richardson.

Miami has an almost-entirely new group of players in the 2024-25 season, with only two players returning from Jim Larrañaga's squad last season. The Canes rebuilt their roster with several key transfers that we'll talk about below.

Here's HawgBeat's preview of what you need to know about the Miami Hurricanes ahead of Friday night's contest, including analytics, potential starting lineups and more...

Miami personnel preview​

Fifth-year guard Nijel Pack is a main cog for the Hurricanes, but it's worth noting his status for Tuesday's game is up in the air because of a lower-body injury. He missed the Canes' game against Charleston Southern and could miss the tilt with the Razorbacks as well.

Pack's unavailability could lead the way for extended minutes from Jalil Bethea, who was the No. 7 player in the nation in the class of 2023 according to Rivals. He committed to the Hurricanes over offers from Kansas, Alabama, UCLA and others.

Bethea has seen an uptick in minutes in the last two games and has played in 18 each of the last two games. He scored seven points against Virginia Commonwealth and six against Charleston Southern. He averages just 6.3 points per game but he's only shooting 5.6 field goal attempts as well.

The other returner from last season is forward Matthew Cleveland, who transferred in from Florida State before last season. He's averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 rebounds so far this season, which is lower than they were a year ago, when he put up 13.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Out of the transfer portal, Larrañaga' grabbed center Lynn Kidd from Virginia Tech, forward Brandon Johnson from East Carolina, guard Jalen Blackmon from Stetson and guard A.J. Staton-McCray from Samford.

All of those transfer players have been utilized heavily, but Johnson has been the most relied upon. He averages the most minutes with 31.1 per game and is the third-leading scorer on the team with 11.4 points per game. He's also effective on the glass, and leads the team in rebounds with 8.7 per game.

In Miami's loss to Charleston Southern last Saturday, Johnson led the team with 23 points on 53% shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Kidd has started every game at center for Miami this season and is averaging 11 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He's shooting 71.7% from the field this season, but he's not a threat from deep and hasn't attempted a three at all this season.

The other two guards — Blackmon and McCray — have done their best to step up with Pack sidelined. Blackmon is averaging 11.6 points per game, which is second on the team behind Pack, and McCray scores 6.9 points per game. McCray had his best scoring game the last time out for the Canes with 13 points on 50% shooting, which included two threes.

One player who might see more playing time for Miami is Austin Swartz, a true freshman shooting guard out of Concord, North Carolina. He hadn't played much this season until the last two games, when he was on the floor for 17 minutes against VCU and 22 minutes against Charleston Southern. He had a season-high 15 points last Saturday and was 3-of-4 from deep.

Analytics preview​

Arkansas' KenPom ranking has steadily dropped since the start of the season and now ranks No. 43, an 18-spot drop from where the Hogs started at No. 25. Miami's ranking is over twice as low, though, and the Canes rank No. 93 headed into the game.

Miam's KenPom standing is intriguing though, because while the Canes have the 276th-ranked defensive efficiency, their offense is No. 24. They're an extremely slow team as far as tempo goes, as they rank 275th in the nation in adjusted tempo.

That's a stark difference from what Arkansas is ranked. The Razorbacks' offensive efficiency is ranked 75th and their tempo is at No. 54 on the year, which means it would be best for the Hogs if they can speed up the pace of the game, get out in transition and keep the Miami defense on their heels.

On the offensive side of the ball, because Miami has struggled to score (the Canes are averaging 73 points per game in their last four) it would behoove the Razorbacks to do what they've done best this season and force turnovers. Miami doesn't turn the ball over much, only 9.3 times per game, but that's an area the Hogs have been strong in, as they force 12.3 per game.

Looking closer at the advanced stats for the Hurricanes, Arkansas can exploit the Hurricanes game by bullying them on the boards. Miami ranks 287th in total rebounds, 259th in defensive rebounds and 253rd in offensive boards. They've lost the rebound battle in two of their last four games, and every one of those teams were able to have success on the offensive glass.

Johnson is the Hurricanes' best rebounder and boasts a 17.4% rebounding rate, which is higher than any Razorback. Trevon Brazile is first on the Razorbacks with a 15.5% rate and Jonas Aidoo is second at 13.3%, but given the lack of playing time due to injury for those two, the other guys like Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic will need to step up.

There will be an interesting battle between Johnson and Thiero. Johnson is strong inside with a 3.2% block rate, but he also turns the ball over at a high clip with a 16.5% turnover rate. Thiero leads the Razorbacks with a 2.9% steal rate, so if he can cause some problems in that area, it bodes well for Arkansas.

Potential starting lineups​

Possible Arkansas Starting Lineup

Arkansas has rolled out the same starting five for every game this season and there's no indication things will look any different. However, there could be a slight change depending on the availability of center Jonas Aidoo.

Aidoo missed the last three games headed into the Illinois matchup but made his return on Thanksgiving Day. He only logged 11 minutes in the game, though, so for now we'll stick with predicting Zvonimir Ivisic to get the start.

Possible Miami Starting Lineup
Miami has run a three-guard lineup with Pack, Blackmon and Cleveland until its most recent game, when the Canes started Bethea, Blackmon and Staton-McCray. Larranaga said Monday Pack's status is still unknown because of injury, and Cleveland "needs to play better" to get more minutes.

Wrapping it up​

Miami has been down on its luck recently, but Arkansas hasn't looked unbeatable either. The Hogs are in need of getting back on track with a win after they got shot to death by the Illini, who hit 15 threes in the game and shot 52.6% from the field.

Arkansas has been strong defensively throughout the season and the Hogs will need to keep that up Tuesday. Miami's offense is struggling and the last thing fans want to see at this point is defensive lapses that the Hurricanes capitalize on.

Arkansas and Miami will tip off at 6 p.m. from Watsco Center in Miami, Florida on Tuesday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Could’ve been 10-2, but we led the nation in turnovers.

So thrilled to continue this.