FAYETTEVILLE — John Calipari and Arkansas basketball kicked off the unofficial start to a new season with a near-perfect performance.
The fans in attendance at Bud Walton Arena watched the Razorbacks grab early control and never let go in an 89-61 blowout over Cincinnati on Friday, Oct. 24. The offense hummed, shooting 53.2% and taking 25 free-throw attempts with five players reaching double figures in scoring.
Advertisement
The Hogs will be back in action on Monday, Oct. 27, with an exhibition at Memphis. Before then, here are nine things we learned about Calipari’s Razorbacks through one game.
Arkansas basketball’s Darius Acuff should live up to the hype
Oct 24, 2025; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) goes up for a dunk during the second half against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 89-61. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
The five-star freshman from Detroit put forth arguably the most encouraging performance of the night with 17 points, four assists, four rebounds and two turnovers in 24 minutes.
Acuff started alongside D.J. Wagner in the backcourt, but it was the rookie who assumed most of the point-guard duties when the duo shared the floor. He provided a meaningful burst late in the first half with 13 points across the final 6:24.
Advertisement
“I feel like I came out settling too much, and Coach (Calipari) just told me get downhill, go by the guy,” Acuff said. “I started doing that more, and the game started flowing better. We made a couple of runs. It was great.”
He scored in a variety of ways, making two 3-pointers, a couple of mid-range jumpers and finishing through contact around the rim.
Meleek Thomas is the best shooter on the team
Trevon Brazile declared Thomas the team’s best shooter in the postgame press conference. Another five-star freshman, Thomas led the team with 18 points and went 3-for-6 from behind the arc.
“We’ve been seeing it the whole summer,” Brazile said. “He’s not shy when it comes to shooting the ball, and he makes them. So we’re going to keep trusting him to shoot them and make them.”
Advertisement
Thomas hit back-to-back 3s early in the second half that stretched the Arkansas lead to 56-31. He also showed off his all-around game with a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
Karter Knox shows glimpses of taking the next step
Knox was super efficient against the Bearcats, going 5-for-8 from the field with two 3s. The evolution in his game showed early in the first half with successful work on pull-up jumpers and drives to the basket. Calipari wants an aggressive mindset to define Knox’s ceiling.
“I still say he’s a car crash driving the ball, and they can’t really guard it, so drive, get into people’s bodies,” Calipari said. “He’s a terrific athlete, he’s long, he’s tough, he’s strong.”
Advertisement
Low-post scoring needs work
The Arkansas centers did not have the strongest of nights on offense. Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle combined for just 10 points.
Pringle did have a spinning low-post move and an interior assist that led to a powerful jam from Brazile in the first four minutes, but most of the scoring came from the Arkansas backcourt.
Wagner still settling into new role
Wagner started the game off the ball and finished with only two points. He had one assist with two turnovers.
However, Wagner did start the second half at point guard, and the Arkansas lead quickly ballooned to 27. He has enough goodwill built from last year’s finish to not get worried about the slow start.
Advertisement
Defensive havoc on full display
Arkansas forced 14 turnovers with six blocks. A lot of those rejections came from the perimeter, with Brazile’s long arms swatting jumpers. The 6-foot-10 forward finished with three blocks.
Additionally, the Hogs held Cincinnati to 28.4% shooting.
Brazile’s confidence carried over from last year
Like Wagner, Brazile closed last season in style, and he showed that late-year success was no fluke in the first exhibition.
“I would just say I just felt more comfortable, and I’m just more comfortable and confident in, you know, my work that I put in and with the coaches, and you know how they want to play me,” Brazile said.
Advertisement
The senior finished with 15 points and five rebounds. He scored the Hogs’ first points on an alley-oop pass from Acuff, made a 3 and shot 6 for 10 from the field.
Billy Richmond not quite letting the jumpers fly
The 3-point shot was Richmond’s biggest focus for offseason improvement, but he missed his only attempt from long range.
Still, Richmond is an athletic force in transition. He had four dunks, scored 10 points and brought the Bud Walton crowd to its feet throughout the game.
Isaiah Sealy will have a role
The freshmen from Springdale High School played 13 minutes. He won’t be a core part of the rotation early on, but Calipari wants Sealy to develop and become a key part of this year’s team.
Advertisement
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: 9 things we learned about Arkansas basketball after win over Cincinnati
