Halftime Takeaways As Virginia Leads Arkansas 46-27

UVA had its way with Arkansas in the first half

Nov 3, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts during the second half against the UAPB Golden Lions at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

FAYETTEVILLE — No. 9 Virginia leads No. 12 Arkansas 46-27 at halftime of Sunday's game inside Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with the Cavaliers taking control of the game in the final four minutes of the half.

Here are three takeaways from the first half of action.

Virginia holds Jordan Smith Jr. in check

Freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. seemed to find his offensive spark in Arkansas' season-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but Virginia did an excellent job defending the consensus top-five recruit in the first half.

Smith looked generally uncomfortable and turned the ball over twice while scoring only six points on 3-8 shooting from the field and missing his lone free throw attempt. He did, however, have an impact on the defensive end, recording two steals and a block. His lone basket of the half was a fast-break dunk that came off of a steal.

Davion Thompson, Abdou Toure provide a spark off the bench

Needless to say, Arkansas' offense struggled in the first half. The Hogs shot only 10-32 (31 percent) from the field, with Smith struggling and Jeremiah Wilkinson being held scoreless and Miikka Muurinen being on the bench for much of the half in foul trouble.

However, a pair of freshmen in Davion Thompson and Abdou Toure gave the Razorbacks exactly what they needed, providing an offensive spark off the bench. Thompson, 17, played 14 minutes and scored six points on 3-5 shooting while stepping into the role of primary ball handler as Smith struggled. Toure scored five points and made Arkansas' lone three of the half.

Foul trouble for both teams

One of Arkansas and Virginia's best players each got into foul trouble early, but it might've been UVA that got the worse end of the deal.

Preseason ACC player of the year Thijs De Ridder picked up two fouls in the opening minutes and then a third with less than three minutes to go, forcing him to sit for the final two minutes. In only seven minutes, though he had nine points and six rebounds on 4-6 shooting.

Miikka Muurinen also picked up two early fouls, but unlike De Ridder, didn't see the floor after committing them. He logged only three minutes after scoring four points on 4-5 shooting from the free throw line early.

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