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Live Blog: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Kansas Jayhawks

Exhibition provides first glimpse into John Calipari era

Kent Smith

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari addressing the crowd at the Pine Bluff Convention Center before their Road Tour practice Sunday in Pine Bluff, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari addressing the crowd at the Pine Bluff Convention Center before their Road Tour practice Sunday in Pine Bluff, Ark. / Jacob Davis-Hogs on SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's the night the people of Arkansas have been waiting for since rumors started leaking out that athletics director Hunter Yurachek had teamed up with the Tyson family to lure John Calipari to Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks, with a completely new everything as far as team and coaches with the exception of forward Trevon Brazile, give everyone a sneak peek as to what is in store for Hog fans during a loaded season full of high profile games. And that's not all that's new this season.

In addition to our usual line-up of writers carving out every angle possible with all things Arkansas basketball, "Hogs on Sports Illustrated" has added Curtis Wilkerson to the fold as a basketball specialist.

In addition to bringing video content providing the Razorback perspective, he will contribute stories highlighting various things of interest to add to an already diverse group of writers. His first official story with us focuses on the freshmen getting forced into the big time tonight whether they're ready or not.

One major concern is how few players Arkansas is expected to have available. Between low numbers and it being a exhibition, fans will need to temper what they take away once it's over.

Follow along throughout the night as we provide updates and analysis of what's happening throughout the game right here. The game officially tips shortly after 8 p.m.

Because the Florida and Tennessee volleyball game is running over, those watching at home will need to flip over to ESPN News to start. So much for ESPN News. They went ahead and cut to the Hogs.

The Arkansas Perspective

The Kansas Perspective

Arkansas Starting Line-Up

1. Boogie Fland
2. DJ Wagner
3. Karter Knox
4. Adou Thiero
5. Zvonimir Ivisic

Kansas Starting Line-Up

1. AJ Storr
2. Dajuan Harris, Jr.
3. Zeke Mayo
4. KJ Adams, Jr.
5. Flory Bidunga

1st Quarter

It's a bit warm in Bud Walton. This could become a bit of a factor in the second half with the Hogs running such a short bench.

John Calipari and the team walk out from a bit of a light show from the tunnel. It was an interesting visual.

There's doesn't appear to be a lot of available room. This was a camping event for the students who wanted to get in.

One unique thing about tonight's game is players aren't able to foul out and the coaches can stop the fight so to speak whenever they decide to throw in the towel. Hunter Dickinson , Rylan Griffen, and Shakeel Moore are out for Kansas while Jonas Aidoo, the All-SEC center from Tennessee, will be out for Arkansas.

AJ Storr drives in to get the scoring started inside. Then DJ Wagner runs down and hits a three to get things off to a quick start.

Freshman Boogie Fland breaks free down the lane from the top of the key and gets the ball dumped to him, but he is welcomed to grown men's basketball as he is bodied hard to the floor. However, he knocks down both free throws and the Hogs are up 5-2 in front of a rather loud crowd.

Wagner knocks down another three. Shooting wasn't exactly the biggest high point of his profile when he came over to Arkansas, but he's hot tonight as the Hogs lead 8-2.

However, Arkansas gets sloppy on defense. Mayo knocks down a three and then no one is home on back to back plays as Kansas attacks the rim. The Jayhawks have cut it to 10-9.

Wagner and Fland look sharp going to the rim. Unfortunately for Arkansas Ivisic doesn't look ready for the moment. His passes are sloppy and he's slow to slide on defense.

Brazile makes his first appearance as Thiero goes out. Fland is putting on a show though.

The freshman knocks down a pull-up jumper for his sixth point of the night. Then he gets a steal and bounces it off the backboard to Brazile who slams it home. 16-9 Hogs as the crowd is getting fired up.

As you can see, both teams are wearing their white uniforms. It can get confusing at times when things get frantic. It will be interesting to see if that leads to more turnovers.

The pick and roll action between Fland and Brazile is going to be interesting this year. When Brazile screens and rolls, Fland gets down hill behind him, but if anyone steps up, he's got the pass. He's lightning quick.

He blew past Brazile on the pick and roll for an attempted lay-up and when it came off the backboard, Brazile was automatically in position for the board as he's fouled. He hits both free throws to make it 20-17.

Calipari is dumbfounded by one of the freshman not knowing who he's guarding. He is also annoyed at the approach his players are using on rebound attempts.

"We're gonna make so many mistakes today, we're gonna have to laugh," Calipari said.

Things slow down a lot when Ivisic comes on the floor. He's wearing a brace, so that could be part of it, but this is a different team with its more athletic big men on the floor. Hogs lead 23-17 as we enter the final minute of the first quarter.

ARKANSAS 25, KANSAS 17

2nd Quarter

There was a lot of talk about Calipari not allowing his big men to shoot from three, but Ivisic just shot and missed a three to start the quarter. Next time down they gave him the ball on the elbow and he spun and got fouled on the shot.

One big positive for Ivisic is he steps up and knocks down both free throws. This could be a glance into why Calipari is so insistent on him focusing on his inside game so he can create foul trouble while extending the lead.

It should be noted he's wearing blue shoes tonight. Again Ivisic fires one up from three and this time it goes down and the Hogs are expanding the lead, 30-19.

Bidunga goes up high for the lob from the three-point line and he is 3-for-3 after cutting it to 30-23. The crowd is suddenly quiet.

That doesn't last long though as Wagner blows by his man for an easy lay-up. However, the renewed excitement doesn't last for long as Bland is on the floor rolling around with pink shoes up in the air.

He is finally up and will exit the game. That's not something Arkansas wants to see tonight because Fland has been the fire and the Robin to Wagner's Batman.

Wagner immediately assumes Flands role in the pick and roll with Brazile and drains teh floater to make it 35-25 Hogs.

Knox on the old school Nolan Richardson era run-out for the baseball pass and his lay-up stretches the lead to a dozen as Bill Self calls a timeout to regroup. The Hog Call is so loud right now as this crowd has begun to forget this is just an exhibition.

It should be noted that Calipari is on the sideline giving group rebounding lessons. He is not happy about players going up with one hand instead of two.

It's beginning to show that these teams have been running quite a bit with a short line-up. Players are starting to look tired and the scoring has slowed a bit as shots are beginning to fall short.

Fland has made his way back into the game, which is good for the Hogs. One thing that stands out is Arkansas has much better spacing this year. Their feet are just heavy right now.

A lot was made about Arkansas not having any Top 20 recruits among the freshmen on this team, but Fland looks like a Top 5 player tonight. He's eating people up on defense as he gets the steal and goes the distance for the lay-up to make it 40-29.

Fland on the backdoor cut from Ivisic for the bucket makes it 42-29 Hogs and Calipari is literally hopping in joy on the sideline. Kansas has to use another timeout as the atmosphere ratchets up again and this is starting to get away from the Jayhawks with just under two minutes left in the half.

However, as noted earlier this week, fans shouldn't read too much into this beyond the surprise that is Fland. Kansas is missing a lot of key players.

Fland with a ferocious block down low, but it gets called for the foul. Replay shown and it was clearly a clean block.

There is now a Johnell Davis sighting as he gets a rebound and the put-back to close out the scoring as the Jayhawks and Hogs head into half.

ARKANSAS 45, KANSAS 33

FIRST HALF STATS

Arkansas vs. Kansas, 1st half stats
Arkansas vs. Kansas, 1st half / statbroadcast.com

3rd Quarter

Arkansas starts the half by holding the entire shot clock on defense and Ivisic throws a baseball pass to Adou Theiro for the lay-up and Calipari is jumping up and down again in excitement. He looks like he's having a lot more fun than he did at Kentucky as the Hogs lead 51-33.

DJ Wagner cuts down the land, corrals the bounce pass and lays it in. He's quietly put up 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and the Hogs are up 54-33.

Big man Jonas Aidoo says he intends to be back for the opener. He is also really impressed with the show Fland is putting on tonight.

It should be noted that Arkansas has fallen to 50% shooting from the field. That's the kind of night the Hogs are having.

Fland with the running jumper going to his right adn the lead is now 58-39 with three minutes left in the third quarter. Davis then follows with a three for his fifth points of the night to officially go up by 20, 61-41.

To get a true feel for how this is going for Kansas, the Jayhawks social media arm was putting out highlights every few minutes early in the game, but hasn't posted a highlight since early in the second quarter as this one has started to become academic.

Kansas makes a mini-run to close out the final two minutes of the quarter. The Hogs will head into the final quarter of play nursing a 15-point lead.

ARKANSAS 65, KANSAS 50

4th Quarter

Fland gets the fourth quarter started with a three off the screen after his defender goes underneath to make it 68-52. However, he makes a rookie mistake after a great steal by passing to Wagner for an open three, then turning his back to the basket instead of following for the possible rebound.

Kansas knocks down a wide open three from the corner that cuts it to a 13-point game, but the Hogs come back with great ball movement down low. The ball hit four hands within maybe two seconds before a streaking Knox took the ball to the rim to answer with a floater that he powered through, making it 71-55.

It's plays like that which appear to be wearing on Kentucky mentally. Unlike last year, the Hogs are playing unselfish ball and the freshmen are really trying to show their basketball maturity to go along with these key veterans.

The Hogs throw the ball away near the top of the key and Kansas hits a lay-up to cut it to 73-61 as the energy lulls. However, it's back immediately as Fland gets the steal shooting the gap at the top of the key and dunks it.

Then, almost immediately, Wagner gets a steal and lays it in to take a game that was getting close and in less than 10 seconds, it's suddently a 77-61 game with the fans fully back in it.

Wagner drives against three Jayhawks and lays it up and in for his 21st points of the night, then Ivisic drains a three to make it 82-64 before going down awkwardly after going up for a rebound on the other end. Arkansas appears to have this locked down with two minutes left.

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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