Arkansas hired John Calipari to win national titles, but with 15 conference championships in his 34 years as a college basketball head coach, it also has its eye on the 2026 SEC Tournament. Following their win over Auburn, the Razorbacks find themselves in their best position to win their first tournament title since 2000.
Arkansas is 19-6 on the season, including 9-2 in the SEC, placing it second in the league, 1.5 games behind Florida. The Razorbacks have won six of their last seven games after getting out to a 3-2 start in conference play.
Arkansas had established itself as a national title contender before poaching Calipari from Kentucky, further raising the stakes. The Razorbacks have invested too much in him to top out at the Sweet Sixteen again and need to win championships sooner or later. Coming out on top of the 2026 SEC Tournament would be a step in the right direction.
While Arkansas is far from the most consistent team in college basketball, it is one of the most dangerous teams in the country when everything is clicking. Unfortunately, it seems equally as likely to have an explosive 90-point outing as it is to throw up a 70-point dud.
As the regular season comes to a close, Calipari has to figure out how to establish consistency in Fayetteville if he is going to bring Arkansas to its first SEC Tournament title since 2000. The Razorbacks are simultaneously one of the most exciting teams to watch in the nation and one of the most frustrating.
Arkansas is the biggest glass cannon in college basketball
John Calipari established a new standard at Arkansas from the moment he stepped onto campus. The Razorbacks play fast and run the floor, leading to a lot of points racked up on both ends.
Led by star freshman Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas has more offensive firepower than most teams can handle. It scores the sixth-most points per game and is tremendous down the stretch, averaging the fifth-most points in the second half.
Calipari's team plays at the 32nd-fastest pace in the country, allowing it to make the second-most field goals per game while hitting them at a top-15 rate. Arkansas' offense also ranks top-35 in effective field goal percentage, three-point percentage, shooting efficiency and turnovers.
When allowed to play at its pace, Arkansas is one of the best offensive teams in the country. However, it does not bring the same energy on defense.
The Razorbacks have the sixth-highest offensive rating on KenPom, but are just 41st in defensive rating. Their 76.5 points per game allowed ranks 222nd, and the 27.7 field goals they allow per game ranks 302nd.
Arkansas' biggest struggles come in the paint, where it allows 35.7 points per game, the 53rd-most in the country, according to CBB Analytics. The Razorbacks also cede 14.9 second chance points per game, the third-most in the nation.
Arkansas' defensive woes have shown up in its six losses, during which it allowed 85.5 points per game. All but one team that beat them scored at least 80 points. Michigan State, the only team that failed to reach that mark, is the lowest-scoring team of the group.
The fast-paced offense Calipari runs can beat anybody in the country, but it has struggled against teams that can match its pace and against elite two-way teams. With teams like Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt atop the conference, who are prepared to run all game, it will be difficult for Arkansas to string together four wins in the 2026 SEC Tournament.
John Calipari's team lacks three-point firepower
John Calipari and Darius Acuff Jr. have turned Arkansas' offense into a well-oiled machine. The Razorbacks are lethal from all over the court, but they are surprisingly inadequate from behind the arc.
It is not that Arkansas cannot shoot the three; it hits 37.1 percent of its long-distance attempts, the 33rd-best clip in the country. That part of the game is just not in their DNA. The Razorbacks attempt just 22.2 three-pointers per game, ranking 203rd.
The lack of a three-point presence is not a problem when Arkansas has star guards Acuff and Maleek Thomas getting into the paint at will. Acuff is the team's best shooter, hitting 2.4 three-pointers per game at a 43.8 percent clip, with Thomas contributing 2.2 threes per game at a 38.5 percent rate.
But beyond the two guards, Arkansas has no other supplementary shooters on the floor. Sophomore Karter Knox is the team's third-best shooter, hitting 37.7 percent from distance, but he makes just 1.2 threes per game.
Arkansas seems to have the personnel to space the floor, but teams have no reason to fear that threat. Without a strong perimeter game, the Razorbacks have struggled against bigger teams that can defend them inside.
The lack of a consistent three-point game has also prevented Arkansas from closing the distance when it falls behind early, as it did in losses to Georgia, Auburn, Kentucky and Houston.
The SEC is full of teams equipped to handle Arkansas' offensive firepower, which will make life difficult for the Razorbacks in the 2026 conference tournament. As good as this roster is, Calipari's will likely have to wait at least one more year to claim his first SEC title since leaving Kentucky.
