The Arkansas men's basketball team was selected to finish fourth in the SEC for the upcoming season, plus center Jonas Aidoo and guard Johnell Davis were named preseason Second Team All-SEC by a panel of SEC and national media members.
Arkansas is ranked 16th in the preseason AP poll and is coming off a disappointing 16-17 (6-12 SEC) season under former head coach Eric Musselman in which it missed the NCAA Tournament.
First-year head coach John Calipari's roster features 13 newcomers — six freshmen and seven transfers. The preseason No. 4 selection is one spot lower than last year, when Arkansas was selected to finish third in the SEC.
Aidoo was voted to the second team after transferring in over the offseason from Tennessee, where he averaged 11.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists a season ago. Aidoo was named AP First Team All-SEC and was voted to the SEC All-Defensive Team after finishing third in the league in blocks (66).
Davis also earned Second-Team preseason honors after joining the Razorbacks from Florida Atlantic, where he averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season on 48.3% field goal and 41.4% three point shooting.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound graduate senior started all 34 games and scored double digits 31 times, including 35 against Arizona. Davis was a key component of FAU's Final Four run during the 2022-23 season, as he was the first player in history to record 25+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in an NCAA Tournament game since steals became an official stat in 1986.
Aidoo and Davis are the 14th and 15th Razorbacks to be named preseason All-SEC, joining Todd Day (1991-92), Scotty Thurman (1993-94 and 1994-95), Corliss Williamson (1993-94 and 1994-95), Joe Johnson (2000-01), Ronnie Brewer (2005-06), Patrick Beverley (2007-080), BJ Young (2012-13), Bobby Portis (2014-15), Moses Kingsley (2016-17) Daniel Gafford (2018-19), Nick Smith Jr. (2022-23), Trevon Brazile (2023-24) and Davonte Davis (2023-24).
The Hogs will face No. 1 Kansas in a home charity exhibition Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. CT at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas' next exhibition will be a charity game vs TCU on Friday, Nov. 1 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Arkansas' season will officially begin on Wednesday, Nov. 6, when Lipscomb comes to town. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena and it will air on SEC Network+.
Full SEC preseason honors:
First Team Preseason All-SEC
Mark Sears - Alabama
Johni Broome - Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr. - Florida
Zakai Zeigler - Tennessee
Wade Taylor IV - Texas A&M
Second Team Preseason All-SEC
Grant Nelson - Alabama
Jonas Aidoo - Arkansas
Johnell Davis - Arkansas
Matthew Murrell - Ole Miss
Josh Hubbard - Mississippi State
Third Team Preseason All-SEC
Chad Baker-Mazara - Auburn
Alex Condon - Florida
Jaxson Robinson - Kentucky
Collin Murray-Boyles - South Carolina
Tramon Mark - Texas
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Mark Sears - Alabama
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Alabama
2. Auburn
3. Tennessee
4. Arkansas
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Texas
8. Kentucky
9. Ole Miss
10. Mississippi State
11. South Carolina
12. Georgia
13. Missouri
14. LSU
15. Oklahoma
16. Vanderbilt
