The Arkansas Razorbacks finished with a somewhat underwhelming 22-14 record this season, but once they reached the men’s NCAA Tournament, they got hot.
They upset Kansas and St. John’s, two higher-seeded teams, but in the Sweet 16 round, they blew a late lead and fell to Texas Tech in overtime when Darrion Williams made the game-winning layup with seven seconds left.
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Head coach John Calipari is looking to recapture the magic he once had at Kentucky as he prepares for his second season at the helm at Arkansas. He got some good news late this week, as forward Trevon Brazile and wing Billy Richmond III said they will be returning this fall.
Even better, guard D.J. Wagner will also be running it back for the 2025-26 season with the Razorbacks.
Wagner isn’t an efficient offensive player, but he averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists a game this past season. He played his freshman year at Kentucky before transferring to Arkansas for the 2024-25 campaign.
He has good handles, the ability to score near the hoop and plenty of athleticism, and the hope is that he improves a bit on his 40.1 percent field-goal accuracy and 30.4 percent accuracy from 3-point range this past season.
Arkansas Razorbacks guard D.J. Wagner (21) dribbles against Kansas Jayhawks guard David Coit (8) during the NCAA Tournament.Eric Canha-Imagn Images
His father, Dajuan Wagner, played four seasons in the NBA, and his uncle, Milt Wagner, was once a college star who played for the 1985-86 national champions at Louisville and had a couple of brief stints in the NBA.
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D.J. Wagner is a native of Camden, N.J., where he was a McDonald’s All-American and a consensus five-star recruit out of high school.
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