2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Eric Musselman, and played its home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 17
Record28–9 (13–5 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBud Walton Arena
(Capacity: 19,368)
Seasons
2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 14 Auburn 15 3   .833 28 6   .824
No. 16 Kentucky 14 4   .778 26 8   .765
No. 15 Tennessee 14 4   .778 27 8   .771
No. 8 Arkansas 13 5   .722 28 9   .757
LSU 9 9   .500 22 12   .647
Alabama 9 9   .500 19 14   .576
South Carolina 9 9   .500 18 13   .581
Texas A&M 9 9   .500 27 13   .675
Florida 9 9   .500 20 14   .588
Mississippi State 8 10   .444 18 16   .529
Vanderbilt 7 11   .389 19 17   .528
Missouri 5 13   .278 12 21   .364
Ole Miss 4 14   .222 13 19   .406
Georgia 1 17   .056 6 26   .188
2022 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

edit

The Razorbacks finished second in the SEC standings and earned a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's South Regional. Arkansas advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1995–96 season, and then to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1994–95 season.[1] Freshman guard Moses Moody was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-SEC, a freshman All-American, and AP Honorable Mention All-American.[2] Moody was a lottery pick, drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 14th pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He was the first "one-and-done" player in school history.

The Razorbacks finished the season with an overall record of 25–7, 13–4 in SEC play, and finished ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the AP Poll.[3]

Offseason

edit

Departures

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Justin Smith 0 F 6'7" 230 Senior Buffalo Grove, Illinois Graduated
Vance Jackson 2 F 6'9" 238 Senior Pasadena, California Graduated
Jalen Tate 11 G 6'6" 175 Senior Pickerington, Ohio Graduated
Abayomi Iyiola 22 F 6'9" 230 Junior Atlanta, Georgia Transferred to Hofstra
Moses Moody 5 G 6'6" 205 Freshman Little Rock, Arkansas Declared for 2021 NBA draft
Ethan Henderson 24 F 6'8" 210 Junior Little Rock, Arkansas Transferred to Texas A&M
Desi Sills 3 G 6'2" 200 Junior Jonesboro, Arkansas Transferred to Arkansas State

Incoming transfers

edit
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Transfer from Eligibility
Stanley Umude 0 G 6'6" 210 Graduate Student San Antonio, Texas South Dakota One year, beginning immediately
Trey Wade 3 F 6'6" 220 Graduate Student Marietta, Georgia Wichita State One year, beginning immediately
Au'Diese Toney 5 G 6'6" 205 Senior Huntsville, Alabama Pittsburgh Two years, beginning immediately
Chris Lykes 11 G 5'7" 160 Graduate Student Mitchellville, Maryland Miami (FL) One year, beginning immediately
Jaxson Robinson 14 G 6'6" 185 Sophomore Ada, Oklahoma Texas A&M Four years, beginning immediately

2021 recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Chance Moore
SG
Powder Springs, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Aug 8, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 85
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 65  247Sports: 51  ESPN:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  • "2021 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020.

2022 Recruiting class

edit
US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nick Smith Jr.
PG / SG
North Little Rock, Arkansas North Little Rock High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sep 29, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 93
Jordan Walsh
SF
Cedar Hill, Texas Link Academy (Branson, MO) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 14, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 93
Anthony Black
PG / SF
Duncanville, TX Duncanville High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Mar 28, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 90
Derrian Ford
CG
Magnolia, AR Magnolia High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 14, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Barry Dunning
SF
Mobile, AL McGill-Toolen Catholic High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 5, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Joseph Pinion
SF
Morrilton, AR Morrilton High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 23, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2  247Sports: 2  ESPN: 2
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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

edit
2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Stanley Umude 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS Warren High School
South Dakota
San Antonio, Texas
G 1 JD Notae 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Sr Newton HS
Jacksonville
Covington, Georgia
G 2 Khalen Robinson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Oak Hill Academy Little Rock, Arkansas
G 4 Davonte Davis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Jacksonville HS Jacksonville, Arkansas
G 5 Au'Diese Toney 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Trinity Christian School
Pittsburgh
Huntsville, Alabama
F 10 Jaylin Williams 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) So Northside HS Fort Smith, Arkansas
G 11 Chris Lykes 5 ft 7 in (1.7 m) 160 lb (73 kg) GS Gonzaga College High School
Miami
Mitchellville, Maryland
G 13 Chance Moore 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr McEachern High School Brookhaven, Georgia
G 14 Jaxson Robinson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Ada High School
Texas A&M
Ada, Oklahoma
F 20 Kamani Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr Holy Spirit Preparatory School
UALR
Brooklyn, New York
G 21 Cade Arbogast 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So De La Salle High School
Lane Community College
Concord, California
F 23 Connor Vanover 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Findlay Prep
California
Little Rock, Arkansas
F 45 Lawson Blake (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Fayetteville High School
Link Year Prep
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 1, 2021

Schedule and results

edit

Arkansas played in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City in November; they were scheduled to play against Kansas State and either Illinois or Cincinnati. The Razorbacks defeated Kansas State before beating Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game. On February 8, the Razorbacks set a new attendance record of 20,361 against top-ranked Auburn.

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 24, 2021*
3:00 p.m.
No. 16 East Central W 77–74 
 20  Davis   15  Toney   3  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
October 30, 2021*
4:00 p.m.
No. 16 North Texas W 68–60 
 21  Notae   5  Umude   4  K. Robinson  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+
No. 16 Mercer W 74–61  1–0
 27  Notae   8  Toney   5  Williams  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 13, 2021*
2:00 p.m., SECN+
No. 16 Gardner–Webb W 86–69  2–0
 19  Vanover   8  Williams   6  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 17, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+
No. 16 Northern Iowa W 93–80  3–0
 26  Lykes   9  Umude   9  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 22, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ESPNews
No. 13 vs. Kansas State
Hall of Fame Classic Semifinal
W 72–64  4–0
 14  Tied   9  Toney   5  Notae  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 23, 2021*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 13 vs. Cincinnati
Hall of Fame Classic Championship
W 73–67  5–0
 19  Toney   11  Williams   4  Williams  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 28, 2021*
3:00 p.m., SECN
No. 13 Penn W 76–60  6–0
 28  Notae   9  Tied   6  Williams  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 1, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN+
No. 10 Central Arkansas W 97–60  7–0
 17  Umude   12  Williams   7  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 4, 2021*
3:00 p.m., SECN+
No. 10 Little Rock W 93–78  8–0
 18  Tied   8  Toney   7  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 7, 2021*
8:00 p.m., SECN
No. 12 Charlotte W 86–66  9–0
 23  Notae   10  Notae   8  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 11, 2021*
12:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 12 vs. Oklahoma
Tulsa Showcase
L 66–88  9–1
 26  Davis   7  Williams   3  Tied  BOK Center (12,746)
Tulsa, OK
December 18, 2021*
7:00 p.m.
No. 24 vs. Hofstra L 81–89  9–2
 20  Notae   8  Williams   4  Davis  Simmons Bank Arena (14,685)
North Little Rock, AR
December 21, 2021*
6:00 p.m., SECN
Elon W 81–55  10–2
 21  Lykes   7  Notae, Johnson   6  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 29, 2021
4:00 p.m., SECN
at Mississippi State L 68–81  10–3
(0–1)
 19  Umude   7  Tied   6  Williams  Humphrey Coliseum (6,628)
Starkville, MS
January 4, 2022
7:30 p.m., SECN
Vanderbilt L 74–75  10–4
(0–2)
 28  Umude   10  Williams   5  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 8, 2022
12:00 p.m., SECN
at Texas A&M L 81–86  10–5
(0–3)
 31  Notae   11  Williams   7  Davis  Reed Arena (7,967)
College Station, TX
January 12, 2022
8:00 p.m., SECN
Missouri W 87–43  11–5
(1–3)
 19  Notae   10  Williams   4  Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 15, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
at No. 12 LSU W 65–58  12–5
(2–3)
 19  Notae   13  Williams   4  Notae  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,734)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 18, 2022
6:00 p.m., SECN
South Carolina W 75–59  13–5
(3–3)
 19  Williams   9  Williams   5  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 22, 2022
7:30 p.m., SECN
Texas A&M W 76–73  14–5
(4–3)
 17  Notae   11  Williams   4  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 26, 2022
6:00 p.m., SECN
at Ole Miss W 64–55  15–5
(5–3)
 25  Notae   8  Williams   5  Tied  SJB Pavilion (6,642)
Oxford, MS
January 29, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. West Virginia
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 77–68  16–5
 19  Toney   15  Williams   3  Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 2, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Georgia W 99–73  17–5
(6–3)
 31  Umude   9  Notae   7  Lykes  Stegeman Coliseum (6,448)
Athens, GA
February 5, 2022
7:30 p.m., SECN
Mississippi State W 63–55  18–5
(7–3)
 14  Notae   9  Williams   4  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 8, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 1 Auburn W 80–76 OT 19–5
(8–3)
 28  Notae   11  Williams   3  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (20,361)
Fayetteville, AR
February 12, 2022
11:00 a.m., SECN
at Alabama L 67–68  19–6
(8–4)
 22  Williams   10  Williams   3  Tied  Coleman Coliseum (10,353)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 15, 2022
8:00 p.m., SECN
No. 23 at Missouri W 76–57  20–6
(9–4)
 23  Umude   11  Williams   4  Notae  Mizzou Arena (7,448)
Columbia, MO
February 19, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 23 No. 16 Tennessee W 58–48  21–6
(10–4)
 13  Tied   16  Williams   2  Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 22, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 18 at Florida W 82–74  22–6
(11–4)
 20  Notae   10  Williams   4  Davis  O'Connell Center (9,023)
Gainesville, FL
February 26, 2022
1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 18 No. 6 Kentucky W 75–73  23–6
(12–4)
 30  Notae   12  Williams   8  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 2, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 LSU W 77–76  24–6
(13–4)
 23  Umude   11  Williams   5  Notae  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 5, 2022
11:00 a.m., ESPN
No. 14 at No. 13 Tennessee L 74–78  24–7
(13–5)
 20  Notae   8  Johnson   4  Notae  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 11, 2022
1:30 p.m., ESPN
(4) No. 15 vs. (5) LSU
Quarterfinals
W 79–67  25–7
 22  Toney   11  Williams   3  Notae  Amalie Arena (16,094)
Tampa, FL
March 12, 2022
12:00 p.m., ESPN
(4) No. 15 vs. (8) Texas A&M
Semifinals
L 64–82  25–8
 20  Umude   9  Williams   5  Notae  Amalie Arena 
Tampa, FL
NCAA Tournament
March 17, 2022
8:20 p.m., TNT
(4 W) No. 17 vs. (13 W) Vermont
First Round
W 75–71  26–8
 21  Umude   9  Tied   4  Notae  KeyBank Center (16,194)
Buffalo, NY
March 19, 2022
7:40 p.m., TNT
(4 W) No. 17 vs. (12 W) New Mexico State
Second Round
W 53–48  27–8
 18  Notae   15  Williams   3  Tied  KeyBank Center (18,299)
Buffalo, NY
March 24, 2022
6:09 p.m., CBS
(4 W) No. 17 vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga
Sweet Sixteen
W 74–68  28–8
 21  Notae   12  Williams   6  Notae  Chase Center (17,514)
San Francisco, CA
March 26, 2022
7:49 p.m., TBS
(4 W) No. 17 vs. (2 W) No. 9 Duke
Elite Eight
L 69–78  28–9
 17  Williams   10  Williams   4  Notae  Chase Center (17,739)
San Francisco, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.
All times are in Central Time.

Post-Season

edit

Senior guard JD Notae was named to the AP and the Sporting News All-American teams as a third-team selection. Notae and sophomore forward Jaylin Williams were both named 1st Team All-SEC, and Williams was also placed on the SEC All-Defensive Team.

Notae and Williams were named to the NCAA Tournament West Regional Team.

Arkansas was the only SEC team to make it beyond the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Arkansas finished ranked in the final Coaches Poll at #8, marking the second year in a row they finished in the Top 10.

Notae and senior guard Au'Diese Toney declared for the NBA draft, while sophomore guard Khalen Robinson, freshman guard Chance Moore, and junior forward Connor Vanover elected to transfer.

See also

edit

References

edit