Calipari praises sophomore forward following best SEC performance

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks sophomore forward Billy Richmond enjoyed arguably his best game at the college level, but not everything will show up on the stat sheet.

Richmond played 24 minutes against Ole Miss while scoring 13 points on 5-of-5 from the field which includes one three. He pulled in six rebounds, one assist and was a catalyst for many run outs for easy transition buckets.

Coach John Calipari refers to his former 5-star as 'The Goat" for his relentless energy and doing many of the small things right to help his team win. His efficient night was critical as the Razorbacks pulled out a high-scoring 94-87 victory over the Rebels in Oxford.

"Yeah, we went to him late because I trust [Richmond]," Calipari said postgame. "I trust him defensively. I trust him to make his free throws. I trust him getting the ball in.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari talks to forward Billy Richmond III (24) during the second half of a second round men’s NCAA Tournament game against the St. John's Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

"We had 11 turnovers and three of those were inbounds. We threw it in the guy's hands and threw it to the wrong guy. One of them, I switched the inbounder and the player that was throwing it in had never thrown it in all year. That ain't his fault, it's mine. You don't do that to a young player."

Richmond wasn't someone completely dependable as a scorer during his freshman season averaging just over five points per game on mostly field goals inside the arc. He made just 2-of-16 three point attempts, but made a concerted effort to increase productivity during the offseason.

While Calipari didn't absolutely credit Richmond's efforts in the gym as a reason for his breakout performance, its' easy to correlate his comfort on the offensive end as a result of using the NOAH shooting analytics system. The machine tracks an athlete's tendencies as a shooter which then gives live feedback on shot taking and tendencies.

"One thing I got on the guys about, we have a machine in our gym called the NOAH, that charts all their shots. It's face recognition. If you're not going in there, I know, because I get all the numbers.

Tonight Billy Richmond III became the first @RazorbackMBB player to shoot 5-5 or better from the field and 2-2 or better at the FT line in an SEC road game since Darrell Hawkins shot 5-5 & 4-4 @ LSU on 1/11/1992. That was #Arkansas' 2nd ever SEC road game, as a new SEC member. https://t.co/YM9jZkXgLs
— HogStats.com (@HogStats) January 8, 2026

"I said 'Guys, I've got some of you that want to shoot balls in games that are not getting in the gym. You're not staying after. You're not coming early. You're not coming back in the morning or late at night. If you really want to do this and make a living at this it's part of your routine."

Richmond has scored in double figures in four of the Razorbacks' previous six regular season games, including back-to-back in the SEC. His comfort from three is noticeable as he's connected on 36% (9-of-25) of attempts this season, a vast improvement from his 13% mark as a freshman.

The Razorbacks will continue a road trip this Saturday inside Auburn's Neville Arena which is nicknamed "The Jungle" for its wrapped around student section that sits nearly atop the hardwood.

Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Tigers are currently 9-6 on the season with an 0-2 start in SEC play under first-year coach Steven Pearl. He was promoted following the abrupt retirement of his father, Bruce, just weeks ahead of the season beginning.

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