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Calipari's spoil of roster riches on full display during Hogs' Sunday scrimmage

Tall, talented Arkansas Razorbacks went hard at both ends for 40 minutes in Hot Springs
Kevin McPherson|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during practice Wednesday at the Chase Center in San Francisc, Calif
Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during practice Wednesday at the Chase Center in San Francisc, Calif | Michael Morrison-Hogs on SI Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — John Calipari dialed up something a little different for fans attending the Arkansas Razorbacks' second annual Tip-Off event in the Spa City Sunday.

He offered a better glimpse of his team for fans compared to last year's inaugural version.


The Hogs held a spirited, competitive 40-minute scrimmage in front of an estimated 4,000 fans inside Bank OZK Arena, whereas last year the team was low on roster numbers while dealing with injuries, so that event was a practice.

Calipari and his team arrived at the venue about an hour-and-a-half before the start as they greeted fans with autographs and photo opportunities first.

Shortly after the entire 15-player roster was introduced, it was down to business.

The Razorbacks' combination of height, length, athleticism, and physicality allowed the team to excel in transition, in its halfcourt drive-and-slash efforts, and in finishing above the rim after attacking the paint with force.

The Hogs were better than advertised shooting from three, and collectively the team looked vastly improved in the blue-collar rebounding phase of the game.

Arkansas thrived running offensive sets involving reads and execution playing through two-man action (i.e. pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, and dribble-handoff scenarios).

The Red team defeated the White team, 44-37, to conclude the first 20-minute segment of the scrimmage.

During that portion of play, freshman guards Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff, Jr., led the Red team in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Sophomore wing Karter Knox and junior guard DJ Wagner led the White squad with 10 points each.

Prior to the start of the second 20-minute segment of the scrimmage, Wagner and Knox joined Acuff on the Red team while Thomas and sophomore wing Billy Richmond III switched over to the White squad.

The White jumped out to a modest lead before the Red overcame its deficit late to earn a 46-41 triumph.

Combining both segments into a full 40-minute intrasquad game, Knox stood out at both ends of the floor, finishing with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and numerous steals, blocked shots, and deflections.

Junior transfer forward-center Nick Pringle led the way in production with a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Pringle was all over the offensive glass for putback dunks, and he was also an effective recipient of lob passes that he cashed in for more dunks.

Thomas (21 points including four made three-point field goals) and Acuff (20 points on efficient shooting, including from distance) lived up to their 5-star status as high school recruits just a few months ago.

Senior forward Trevon Brazile and junior forward-center Malique Ewin teamed up as a formidable 1-2 frontline punch throughout the scrimmage.

The frontcourt tandem scored inside and out while having strong rebounding production. Ewin finished with a double-double (19 points and 12 rebounds) while Brazile was one rebound shy of a his own double-double (15 points and 9 rebounds).

Wagner had 18 points; freshman combo guard Isaiah Sealy contributed 14 points and five rebounds; sophomore guard Jaden Karuletwa chipped in 10 points, and Richmond tallied four points and two rebounds.

Freshman 7-footers Paulo Semedo and Elmir Dzafic played sparingly and combined for five points and one rebound.

"He's (Knox) gotten better," Calipari said after the scrimmage. "TB's gotten better. DJ's gotten better. Billy's gotten better. They've all gotten better, and they're back. The young kids (Acuff and Thomas) are pretty good. Malique (Ewin) and Nick (Pringle) are pretty good. 

"Isaiah (Sealy) has got a chance. He really does. He's got things he's got to understand. You're not just playing for yourself, you're playing for us ... They all did some good stuff."

Next up for Arkansas is a home charity exhibition game against Cincinnati (Oct. 24 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville) followed by a road charity exhibition game at Memphis (Oct. 27).

The Razorbacks' regular-season opener is at home game against Southern on Nov. 3 at BWA.

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Kevin McPherson
KEVIN MCPHERSON

Analyst, reporter, and columnist for nearly 40 years in Arkansas, he has covered everything Arkansas basketball and recruiting (football, too). His primary focus has been the Razorbacks. His articles, columns, daily podcasts, and weekly television and radio segments drill down on the Razorbacks and more!

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