2025–26 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

2025–26 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
SEC tournament champions
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 15
APNo. 14
Record28–8 (13–5 SEC)
Head coach
Associate head coachRonald Coleman (2nd season)
Kenny Payne (2nd season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBud Walton Arena
(Capacity: 19,368)
2025–26 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Florida 16 – 2   .889 27 – 8   .771
No. 18 Alabama 13 – 5   .722 25 – 9   .735
No. 14 Arkansas † 13 – 5   .722 28 – 8   .778
No. 16 Vanderbilt 11 – 7   .611 27 – 9   .750
No. 23т Tennessee 11 – 7   .611 24 – 11   .686
Texas A&M 11 – 7   .611 22 – 12   .647
Georgia 10 – 8   .556 22 – 11   .667
Missouri 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Kentucky 10 – 8   .556 22 – 14   .611
Texas 9 – 9   .500 21 – 14   .600
Oklahoma 7 – 11   .389 19 – 15   .559
Auburn 7 – 11   .389 19 – 16   .543
Mississippi State 5 – 13   .278 13 – 19   .406
South Carolina 4 – 14   .222 13 – 19   .406
Ole Miss 4 – 14   .222 15 – 20   .429
LSU 3 – 15   .167 15 – 17   .469
† 2026 SEC tournament winner
As of March 22, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represents the University of Arkansas during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Razorbacks, led by second year head coach John Calipari, play their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

Previous season

Arkansas finished the season 22–14, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 9th place. As the No. 9 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated South Carolina before losing to Ole Miss in the second round. They made it to the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West regional. They beat Kansas and St. Johns in the first and second round respectively, before falling to former Southwest Conference-foe Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen in overtime.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Adou Thiero 3 F 6'8" 220 Junior Pittsburgh, PA Declared for 2025 NBA draft, drafted 36th overall by the Brooklyn Nets, traded to the Los Angeles Lakers
Casmir Chavis 5 G 6'0" 180 Freshman Minneapolis, MN Transferred to UT Arlington
Boogie Fland 2 G 6'2" 175 Freshman Bronx, NY Transferred to Florida
Zvonimir Ivišić 44 F 7'2" 245 Sophomore Vodice, Croatia Transferred to Illinois
Melo Sanchez 8 G 6'4" 185 Junior San Diego, CA Transferred to Central Connecticut
Jonas Aidoo 9 F 6'11" 240 Grad Durham, NC Graduated
Johnell Davis 1 G 6'4" 210 Grad Gary, IN Graduated
Kareem Watkins 25 G 5'8" 175 Grad Camden, NJ Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Malique Ewin 12 F 6'10" 240 Senior Lawrenceville, GA Transfer from Florida State
Nick Pringle 23 F 6'10" 230 Graduate student Seabrook, SC Transfer from South Carolina

2025 recruiting class

Arkansas signed three high school players to its 2025 class, to include two McDonald's All-Americans (Acuff, Thomas) and the top player in the state of Arkansas (Sealy). Arkansas also signed a top international player (Rtail) who has played professionally in Europe. This class is ranked the #4 class in the country according to On3.com, ESPN, and 247Sports, and the #5 class by Rivals.

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Darius Acuff Jr.
PG 		Detroit, MI IMG Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jul 26, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (95)
Meleek Thomas
CG 		Pittsburgh, PA Overtime Elite 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 12, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (94)
Paulo Semedo
C 		Luanda, Angola West Oaks Academy 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jun 13, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (85)
Isaiah Sealy
SF 		Springdale, AR Springdale 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 1, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (83)
Karim Rtail
SF 		Beirut, Lebanon 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Mar 19, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Amere Brown
PG 		Pittsburgh, PA Woodland Hills 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 28, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Elmir Džafić
C 		Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Jun 12, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 5    247Sports: 4    On3: 4    ESPN: 4
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arkansas 2025 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  • "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved March 24, 2025.

2026 Recruiting Class

Arkansas signed 2 players to their 2026 recruiting class, and has 1 verbal commitment. Shooting guard/small forward JJ Andrews, the son of former NFL offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, is the #1 player in Arkansas and a 5 star recruit. He was named a McDonald's All-American. Arkansas also signed small forward Abdou Toure, a 4 star recruit and Top 50 player nationally, who is also the #1 player in Connecticut. Arkansas also has a verbal commit from combo guard Jordan Smith Jr, a 5 star player who is also a McDonald's All-American. Arkansas currently has the #6 class on 247Sports, the #2 class on Rivals/On3, and #14 on ESPN, although this last class ranking has not factored in Smith's verbal commit.

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Smith Jr.
SG 		Washington, DC Paul VI Catholic (VA) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Feb 13, 2026 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (98)
JJ Andrews
SF 		Little Rock, AR Little Rock Christian 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 5, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (93)
Abdou Toure
SF 		West Haven, CT Notre Dame High 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Oct 3, 2025 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:    (88)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 2    247Sports: 6    On3: 2    ESPN: 14
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2025–26 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jaden Karuletwa 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Village Christian School Sun Valley, California
G 1 Meleek Thomas 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 2 Amere Brown 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Woodland Hills High School Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 5 Darius Acuff Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr IMG Academy Detroit, Michigan
F 7 Trevon Brazile 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Missouri Springfield, Missouri
F 11 Karter Knox 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Overtime Elite Tampa, Florida
F 12 Malique Ewin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Florida State Lawrenceville, Georgia
G 14 Ayden Kelley 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Northpoint Christian School Memphis, Tennessee
C 15 Elmir Džafić 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Fr n/a Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
G 21 D. J. Wagner 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Kentucky Camden, New Jersey
F 23 Nick Pringle 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS South Carolina Seabrook, South Carolina
F 24 Billy Richmond III 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Camden High School Memphis, Tennessee
F 30 Isaiah Sealy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Springdale High School Springdale, Arkansas
F 35 Karim Rtail 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Neptūnas-Akvaservis Beirut, Lebanon
C 99 Paulo Semedo 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr West Oaks Academy Luanda, Angola
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 25, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 14 Cincinnati W 89–61  -
  18 – Thomas   7 – Thomas   4 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (14,832)
Fayetteville, AR
October 27, 2025*
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 14 at Memphis W 99–75  -
  23 – Thomas   7 – Tied   7 – Acuff Jr.  FedEx Forum (9,573)
Memphis, TN
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 14 Southern W 109–77  1–0
  25 – Brazile   11 – Brazile   7 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 8, 2025*
6:00 pm, FOX 		No. 14 at No. 22 Michigan State L 66–69  1–1
  16 – Tied   7 – Pringle   6 – Acuff Jr.  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
November 11, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 21 Central Arkansas W 93–56  2–1
  21 – Acuff Jr.   10 – Knox   6 – Thomas  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 14, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 21 Samford W 79–75  3–1
  20 – Acuff Jr.   8 – Thomas   5 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 18, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 21 Winthrop W 84–83  4–1
  26 – Thomas   8 – Brazile   5 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 21, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 21 Jackson State W 115–61  5–1
  21 – Ewin   10 – Knox   7 – Wagner  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 27, 2025*
7:00 pm, CBS 		No. 22 vs. No. 4 Duke
CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic 		L 71–80  5–2
  21 – Acuff Jr.   11 – Brazile   5 – Acuff Jr.  United Center (10,766)
Chicago, IL
December 3, 2025*
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 25 No. 6 Louisville
ACC–SEC Challenge 		W 89–80  6–2
  21 – Brazile   9 – Ewin   10 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 6, 2025*
3:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 25 vs. Fresno State W 82–58  7–2
  18 – Acuff Jr.   7 – Pringle   8 – Acuff Jr.  Simmons Bank Arena (11,534)
North Little Rock, AR
December 13, 2025*
11:00 am, ESPN2 		No. 17 vs. No. 16 Texas Tech
Revocruit Rematch 		W 93–86  8–2
  24 – Brazile   10 – Brazile   8 – Acuff Jr.  American Airlines Center (8,277)
Dallas, TX
December 16, 2025*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 14 Queens W 108–80  9–2
  26 – Brazile   7 – Pringle   10 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 20, 2025*
4:30 pm, CBS 		No. 14 vs. No. 8 Houston
Never Forget Tribute Classic 		L 85–94  9–3
  27 – Acuff Jr.   9 – Ewin   7 – Acuff Jr.  Prudential Center (6,246)
Newark, NJ
December 29, 2025*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 18 James Madison W 103–74  10–3
  28 – Thomas   9 – Ewin   6 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
SEC regular season
January 3, 2026
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 18 No. 19 Tennessee W 86–75  11–3
(1–0) 		 29 – Acuff Jr.   7 – Tied   4 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 7, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 15 at Ole Miss W 94–87  12–3
(2–0) 		 26 – Acuff Jr.   6 – Tied   9 – Acuff Jr.  SJB Pavilion (8,012)
Oxford, MS
January 10, 2026
5:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 15 at Auburn L 73–95  12–4
(2–1) 		 19 – Acuff Jr.   12 – Ewin   4 – Thomas  Neville Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 14, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 17 South Carolina W 108–74  13–4
(3–1) 		 21 – Thomas   7 – Pringle   13 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 17, 2026
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 17 at No. 21 Georgia L 76–90  13–5
(3–2) 		 20 – Acuff Jr.   8 – Richmond III   6 – Acuff Jr.  Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)
Athens, GA
January 20, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 20 No. 15 Vanderbilt W 93–68  14–5
(4–2) 		 17 – Acuff Jr.   14 – Brazile   5 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 24, 2026
4:00 pm, SECN 		No. 20 LSU W 85–81  15–5
(5–2) 		 31 – Acuff Jr.   7 – Brazile   6 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 27, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 15 at Oklahoma W 83–79  16–5
(6–2) 		 21 – Acuff Jr.   7 – Brazile   9 – Acuff Jr.  Lloyd Noble Center (9,641)
Norman, OK
January 31, 2026
5:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 15 Kentucky L 77–85  16–6
(6–3) 		 22 – Acuff Jr.   8 – Brazile   3 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 7, 2026
11:00 am, ESPN2 		No. 21 at Mississippi State W 88–68  17–6
(7–3) 		 24 – Acuff Jr.   11 – Pringle   8 – Acuff Jr.  Humphrey Coliseum (8,254)
Starkville, MS
February 10, 2026
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 21 at LSU W 91–62  18–6
(8–3) 		 28 – Acuff Jr.   12 – Brazile   5 – Acuff Jr.  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (6,701)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 14, 2026
7:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 Auburn W 88–75  19–6
(9–3) 		 31 – Acuff Jr.   10 – Thomas   7 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 18, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 20 at No. 25 Alabama L 115–117 2OT 19–7
(9–4) 		 49 – Acuff Jr.   8 – Brazile   5 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (13,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 21, 2026
3:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 20 Missouri W 94–86  20–7
(10–4) 		 21 – Richmond III   8 – Tied   6 – Brazile  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 25, 2026
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 20 Texas A&M W 99–84  21–7
(11–4) 		 23 – Richmond III   9 – Ewin   7 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 28, 2026
7:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 20 at No. 7 Florida
College GameDay 		L 77–111  21–8
(11–5) 		 22 – Richmond III   8 – Ewin   6 – Acuff Jr.  O'Connell Center (11,076)
Gainesville, FL
March 4, 2026
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 20 Texas W 105–85  22–8
(12–5) 		 28 – Tied   9 – Richmond III   13 – Acuff Jr.  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 7, 2026
11:00 am, ESPN 		No. 20 at Missouri W 88–84 OT 23–8
(13–5) 		 28 – Thomas   9 – Tied   5 – Wagner  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
SEC tournament
March 13, 2026
8:30 p.m., SECN 		(3) No. 17 vs. (11) Oklahoma
Quarterfinal 		W 82–79  24–8
  37 – Acuff Jr.   11 – Brazile   5 – Acuff Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (15,085)
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2026
2:30 p.m., ESPN 		(3) No. 17 vs. (15) Ole Miss
Semifinal 		W 93–90 OT 25–8
  29 – Thomas   13 – Ewin   7 – Acuff Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (16,612)
Nashville, TN
March 15, 2026
12:00 p.m., ESPN 		(3) No. 17 vs. (4) No. 22 Vanderbilt
Championship 		W 86–75  26–8
  30 – Acuff Jr.   9 – Brazile   11 – Acuff Jr.  Bridgestone Arena (18,377)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2026
3:25 p.m., TBS 		(4 W) No. 14 vs. (13 W) Hawaii
Round of 64 		W 97–78  27–8
  24 – Acuff Jr.   12 – Ewin   7 – Acuff Jr.  Moda Center (12,104)
Portland, OR
March 21, 2026
8:45 p.m., TBS 		(4 W) No. 14 vs. (12 W) High Point
Round of 32 		W 94–88  28–8
  36 – Acuff Jr.   12 – Ewin   6 – Acuff Jr.  Moda Center (14,385)
Portland, OR
March 26, 2026
8:45 p.m., CBS 		(4 W) No. 14 vs. (1 W) No. 2 Arizona
Sweet Sixteen 		      SAP Center 
San Jose, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP1421212225171418181517201521212020201714
Coaches1521222123171418181517201621211717191715

References

  1. ^ "Arkansas Falls in Sweet 16 in OT to #3 seed (9th-ranked) Texas Tech". Arkansas Razorbacks. March 28, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
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