The Trump dance? Loved it.
Thoughts?

Grayson will be playing in the US Army Bowl on December 21 at the Dallas Cowboys Star Facility in Frisco Texas. Honored to selected as one of four Finalists for Player of the Year. Login to view embedded media

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Had ACL surgery on Monday, been sitting in the recliner recovering all week.

Anyone else out there had it? Any rehab tips?

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For those interested, Little Rock is playing Tulsa on ESPN+ right now. Hogs play them Friday.

Illinois-Alabama is at 8 tonight. Arkansas and Illinois tip on Thanksgiving, and of course will play Alabama later this season as well.

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great get right game
everyone looked great tonight
nelly, karter and DJ, really good game
LFGGG best illinois

FYI, BA gets the start for the 49ers tomorrow with Brock Purdy out due to injury. Always like to see former Hogs in the NFL, but at QB is a rarity.

In the last 10 years of seasons, how many losses have we had where we were winning the game at any point of the 4th quarter.

I'd bet it's around 80%.

Through six games of the John Calipari era, Arkansas boasts a 5-1 record, with the lone loss being a neutral court defeat against Baylor in Dallas.

So far, the Razorbacks have yet to be at 100% health this season, with transfer forward Jonas Aidoo only appearing in three games and missing each of the last three games. Additionally, lone returnee Trevon Brazile missed two games with a turned ankle injury, but he returned for the 109-35 route of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Monday.

The Arkansas fanbase and coaches alike are not quite sure what the team will look like when fully healthy and when the group develops chemistry. The sooner Aidoo is back, the better, as the Razorbacks have tough non-conference matchups against Illinois, Miami and Michigan looming.

HawgBeat ran our regular hoops mailbag series, where we answer reader questions, and team health was a hot topic of discussion, along with questions about recruiting and even the future. We take submissions from social media and on The Trough premium message board at HawgBeat.com.

Every question posed on The Trough is answered completely, while only a select few are answered on social media. Be sure to subscribe to have your questions answered.

What do you think - after watching the team now for a month - should be the breakdown of minutes after Aidoo comes back? - HawgBeat user @Hogs1988​

It might be a slow build with integrating Aidoo back into the lineup, so I'll just jump to what I think it could/should look like when he's fully back:

Starters:

Jonas Aidoo: 26
Adou Thiero: 28
Johnell Davis: 30
DJ Wagner: 34
Boogie Fland: 34

Bench:

Billy Richmond: 16
Zvonimir Ivisic: 12
Trevon Brazile: 10
Karter Knox: 10

How many guys go in the first round from this club? How many drafted overall? - HawgBeat user @P1Hawg​

If the level of play continues, I'd say:

First round:

Thiero, Fland

Drafted:

Wagner

Knox could work himself into a draft pick - he had largely been viewed as one before the slow start.

Brazile is dependent upon how he performs. Teams know his skillset and athleticism are enticing but another injury is another strike against him. I think he's more of a free agent signing and two-way guy.
Ivisic is tempting with how he's shooting, and the League loves unicorns, but he's also pretty bad defensively and not super quick, so it's hard to see a team taking a chance on him.

Richmond hasn't really been viewed as a one and done but could play himself into one.

Essentially, it's early and a lot of variables are in play.

Do you see an expanded role for Billy Richmond and if what will be that new role? - X (formerly known as Twitter) user @UnitedHogs​

Yes, I definitely do, especially the way he's been playing of late. Richmond is just so energetic with a super high motor and explosivity. Of late, his talent and efficiency have both started to catch up with his effort.
Remains to be seen if that will continue as competition gets tougher, but as long as he maintains that effort, it'll be hard to keep him off the floor. He still has some things to work on. He needs an outside shot and to be a little more comfortable in his role against teams that aren't MD-Eastern Shore, but he's definitely caught my eye and I'm sure the attention of the coaching staff, as well.

Based on our performance and what you’ve seen from other SEC teams where do you predict us to finish in conference? - X (formerly known as Twitter) user @p_birdsong​

It's tough to say right now because Arkansas still isn't healthy and teams are playing such an array of competition. I think given the performances so far, Auburn is my favorite to win the league and Alabama is a close second.

From there, things get a bit murky. I'd say Arkansas is in the tier ahead of the middle of the pack, but there could also be a lot of teams in that tier, as well. If I had to put teams in order right this second, I think I'd go:

1) Auburn
2) Alabama
3) Tennessee
4) Kentucky
5) Arkansas
6) Texas
7) Florida
8) Mississippi State
9) Ole Miss
10) Texas A&M
11) Georgia
12) Missouri
13) LSU
14) Oklahoma
15) Vanderbilt
16) South Carolina

Is that how I envision things finishing? Not at all, just how I see things sitting right now. There are too many factors and uncertainties to make a prediction of order of finish at this juncture, so I'll kind of squeeze by this question with somewhat of a power ranking instead of predicted order of finish.

Do you think we’ll add another recruit to this class or are we going to focus on the portal? Also, do you think Cal is going to increase his playable scholarship players to 10 or 11 next year or stick with 9? - HawgBeat user @Corporal Upham​

They're looking to add another piece. Some names being mentioned for that final one or two spots are Nate Ament, Miikka Muurinen (reclassification candidate), Mo Sylla, and Keiner Asprilla (reclassification candidate). They've been connected with Ament and Muurinen for a long, long time now, and should be in a good spot for each. These guys will all most likely wait until the spring to decide, so just keep them on your radar.

As far as the playable scholarship players go, I don't think he's really going to go beyond 9 or 10 (an argument can be made that Chavis is a playable piece this year), but I think it will start to look different. Right now, your 10-13 pieces plus walk-ons are Blake, Watkins, Kelley, Sanchez, Karuletwa and Chavis. Blake and Watkins are seniors, so that opens two walk-on spots.

So, say for instance those two walk-on spots are then given to Kelley and Karuletwa without impacting their financial situation. Then you have Chavis and Sanchez as two of your 10-13 spots - a three-star recruit and a D-II transfer. The quality of that group is already better than in year one.

Then you have the roster building around it. It's a bit of guesswork since we don't know who will leave versus return for next season, but you lose Davis and Aidoo, most likely will lose Wagner, Thiero, and Fland, and currently have three, and up to four incoming freshman.

Say you return:

Brazile
Chavis
Knox
Richmond
Ivisic

And add:

Darius Acuff Jr.
Meleek Thomas
Isaiah Sealy
Nate Ament/Miikka Muurinen

That gets you to nine already, without any portal additions. Of course, more people could leave and in this era someone or multiple will most likely transfer out.

That's a long-winded way of saying there's a shot your 10-13 next year includes Chavis, Sealy, Sanchez, and another lower-tier portal guy or HS recruit. On paper, at least, it would seem more talented with more depth and more playable guys, even if the plan is still to only keep a core rotation of nine.

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Arkansas is No. 51 in the first NET ranking released today

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From @DanielFair:

The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 0-0 SEC) will continue their non-conference slate Friday night against the in-state foe Little Rock Trojans (3-2, 0-0 OVC).

It will be the second time the two have met in the regular season, as the Hogs and Trojans last met on Dec. 4, 2021, a game Arkansas won 93-78. They also played in a preseason charity exhibition Oct. 19, 2019, when Bud Walton Arena’s court was commemorated as "Nolan Richardson Court” prior to a game that Arkansas won, 79-64.

Both teams have won two straight games, as the Hogs beat Troy last week and Pacific on Monday, and the Trojans knocked off Texas-San Antonio last Saturday and Tulsa on Wednesday night.

Arkansas' offense struggled out of the gate to start the season but has picked up in recent games, especially in the three-point department. After they shot 25% from deep against Baylor, the Hogs improved that number to 43.1% (19-of-44) in their last two games.

"But you do know, since Baylor — when we started 0 for 9 — after that through this game, I think we’re at 45, 46% of our 3s," Calipari said. "We’re at a high number. We just, you know, we’re a little bit confused and weren’t as confident as we needed to be. But they’re shooting the ball better."

Here's HawgBeat's preview of what you need to know about the Little Rock Trojans ahead of Friday night's contest...

Little Rock personnel preview​

There will be plenty of Arkansas flavor in this matchup. Aside from the fact both programs hail from the Natural State, Little Rock is led by head coach Darrell Walker, who played for both Arkansas-Fort Smith (1979-80) and the Razorbacks (1980-83) before he enjoyed a 10-year run in the NBA.

Walker has led the Little Rock program since 2018, both when the Trojans were in the Sun Belt Conference, but they are now in the Ohio Valley Conference. Walker has amassed an overall record of 85-101. Last season was his best, as the Trojans finished 21-13 overall with a 14-4 mark in OVC play.

Unlike the Razorbacks, the Trojans have two Arkansas natives on their roster: guard K.K. Robinson and forward Creed Williamson. Fans will likely remember Robinson, as he played for the Hogs from 2020 to 2022, albeit sparingly. He transferred to Texas A&M for one season before he joined the Little Rock program prior to last year.

Unfortunately, fans won't get to see Robinson, as he is out for the year with a knee injury sustained in the preseason.

In Robinson's place, LSU transfer Mwani Wilkinson has stepped up. He's the Trojans' leading scorer with 17 points per game and he is shooting 55.4% from the field and 50% from three through five games.

Wilkinson didn't play much at LSU, so fans probably don't remember him in either of the Hogs' losses to the Tigers last season. He only logged 1:36 of playing time in the first matchup — a 95-74 Arkansas loss on the road — and 6:01 when the Tigers came to Bud Walton Arena for a 94-83 Arkansas win.

The other guard who has filled the hole left by Robinson is redshirt junior guard Johnathan Lawson. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because he's the brother of former Razorback Chandler Lawson, who suited up for the Razorbacks last season.

Johnathan is averaging 16.6 points per game and had a 27-point scoring outburst against Winthrop on Nov. 9. In the Trojans win over Tulsa poured in 23 points on 75% (9-of-12) shooting including three makes from deep. He also had seven rebounds and five assists.

For the Razorbacks, the status of center Jonas Aidoo and forward Trevon Brazile is still up in the air, so it should be expected we'll see a heavy dose of center Zvonimir Ivisic, otherwise known as "Big Z," which means we'll likely see some international flavor in this game as well.

Arkansas has its Croatian Sensation in Big Z, and Little Rock has Ante Beljan, who hails from Trogir, Croatia. Beljan is in his third season with the Trojans and had his best outing against Texas-San Antonio with 21 points, four rebounds and five assists.

Analytics preview​

Looking at the KenPom preview of this game, Arkansas has a massive advantage. Arkansas currently ranks No. 33 in the country in adjusted efficiency margin and are ninth in defensive efficiency. Little Rock, on the other hand, sits at 181st in adjusted efficiency margin, 204th in offensive efficiency and 173rd in defensive efficiency.

KenPom gives Arkansas a 95% chance to win this game and projects a final score of 80-62.
The sample size is small for both teams, but the analytics show key areas the Razorbacks will need to exploit to be successful in this game.

The first area is in the turnover department. Arkansas has been strong on the defensive end of the ball and is averaging 17 forced turnovers per game, which is good for 80th nationally. Little Rock, on the other hand, turns the ball over an average of 14.6 times per game, which is ranked 66th.

The two Razorbacks who have been the best at that so far this season are forward Adou Thiero and point guard Boogie Fland, who both lead the team with 2.3 steals per game. That plays well into this game, as two Little Rock guards — Isaiah Lewis and Lawson — are the Trojans who turns the ball over the most with three and 2.4 per game, respectively.

It's worth noting guard D.J. Wagner also averages two steals per game. Fland and Wagner's suffocating defense should help disrupt the Trojans gameplan and provide more scoring opportunities in transition.

The other key area is in the rebounding department. The Trojans' best rebounding percentage comes from Caleb Pennyfeather, who has a 14.4% rebounding percentage, but it's worth noting Wednesday's game was the first he'd appeared in. Wilkinson is second on the team with a 10.2% total rebound percentage.

Brazile is the Razorbacks’ highest at 18.4%, but if he's unable to play, Thiero's comes in second at 12.6%. The Trojans, as a team, rank higher than the Hogs in total rebounds (297th to 309th), but it's worth noting the competition level has been significantly worse for the Trojans so far, with one game coming against NAIA foe Arkansas Baptist.

Wrapping it up​

Make no mistake, Arkansas will need to take Little Rock seriously when the Trojans come to Bud Walton. Walker's squad has several high-major level players and the fact that it's an in-state matchup should be extra motivation for Little Rock.

That said, this is a game Arkansas should be able to win, even if the Hogs are shorthanded as they were Monday against Pacific. Arkansas will be the toughest team Little Rock will have played so far on the season, and the Hogs should be able to put this one away with relative ease if they play to their potential.

The game between the Razorbacks and Trojans will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network. Stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest coverage of Arkansas basketball.

Arkansas redshirt junior wide receiver Jaedon Wilson announced Friday via social media that he is stepping away from the team. He's the second scholarship player to leave the team in two weeks.


"I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the University of Arkansas, its dedicated fans, my coaches, my teammates, and the community of Fayetteville," Wilson wrote in a statement. "As I prepare to step away from my role on the football team, it is important for me to reflect on the incredible journey I have experienced during my time in Fayetteville.

"First and foremost, I want to thank the University of Arkansas for providing me with an exceptional environment to grow both academically and athletically. I also want to give thanks and state how proud I am to be a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

"l am looking forward to the next chapter of my life as I will continue to dedicate myself to playing at the highest level of college football. I love the sport and my passion to play is greater than ever.I would like to wish the best to all the coaches and players at the University of Arkansas and I will be cheering for all of you. I have treasured my time in Fayetteville and will miss my Hog family.

"Please understand and respect this decision for I truly believe it is best for me and my family at this time. Thanks go hogs!"

After playing just eight offensive snaps in the 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the season-opener, Wilson was quick to change up his Twitter (X) profile with nothing relating him to the Razorbacks. At least 10 different receivers logged more snaps in the big win, including walk-on Kamron Bibby, who played 10 snaps, although they were all with the game well out of hand.

A former three-star prospect out of DeSoto High School in Texas, Wilson caught 18 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns across his four seasons in Fayetteville.

Arkansas also had scholarship long snapper Eli Stein leave the team after he lost half of his starting job prior to the season-opener.

The Razorbacks will take on No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be televised on ABC.