No. 20 Arkansas slips again in AP poll as Calipari eyes March, not January

Razorbacks focus on growth against No. 15 Vanderbilt, not mid-season rankings

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The polls moved. Again. Arkansas slid. Again.

And none of it changes what actually matters in mid-January.

The Razorbacks dropped three spots to No. 20 in the latest AP Top 25 following a split week that looked exactly like a split week usually looks in the rankings.

A comfortable home win lifted little. A road loss dragged more. Voters reacted. Life goes on.

That’s the rhythm of January basketball, especially in the SEC. Teams rise on Tuesday, wobble on Saturday, and wake up Monday to a slightly different number next to their name.

Arkansas entered last week at No. 17. It leaves this one at No. 20. The Hogs are still ranked. Still winning more than they’re losing. Still firmly in the middle of conference play with a long way to go.

Nothing about that changes how this season will ultimately be judged.

The Razorbacks earned their slide honestly. They overwhelmed South Carolina at home with balance and pace, putting six players in double figures and never letting the outcome drift into doubt.

On the road at Georgia, though, they never found that same rhythm, fell behind early and spent too much time chasing the game.

The loss didn’t expose anything new. Road games remain hard. Young teams still fluctuate. Polls still respond quickly.

And John Calipari still isn’t building teams for January applause.

Home 📍 pic.twitter.com/EqEuNaOWoa

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) January 20, 2026

Poll movement offers noise, not answers

Calipari has never pretended midseason rankings tell the truth. They measure recency, not readiness. They reward clean weeks and punish inconvenient losses, without much regard for where a team is actually headed.

Arkansas sits at 13-5 overall and 3-2 in SEC play. That résumé looks fine in January.

It will look irrelevant in March if the Razorbacks aren’t prepared for tournament basketball.

That’s where Calipari’s attention stays. His teams are built in stages.

Early confidence matters. January lessons matter more. February toughness matters most.

By the time brackets appear, nobody remembers where a team was ranked six weeks earlier.

History backs that up. January polls fade fast. Teams change shape.

Rotations shift. Roles harden. Some groups peak early and drift.

Others stumble, then surge.

Arkansas is still in the middle of that process, and the poll drop reflects that reality more than any real concern.

Within the SEC, the shuffle continues. The Razorbacks remain one of several league teams hovering in the Top 25, with margins between them measured in possessions, not perception. One road win or loss can swing five spots in either direction.

That makes the ranking useful only as a snapshot, not a forecast.

Which brings Arkansas to the part that matters more than the number.

Tuesday night arrives with Vanderbilt on the other sideline and another chance to turn conversation into clarity.

The Commodores don’t care where Arkansas is ranked. They care how well the Razorbacks defend, how quickly they start and whether they handle pressure better than they did in Athens.

Those are questions a poll can’t answer. For Arkansas, the game is another step in shaping an identity that will have to travel, survive bad nights and function when shots stop falling.

Those tests don’t come from voters. They come from conference opponents.

Arkansas (13-5, 3-2 SEC, NET No. 24, KenPom No. 23) dropped 3 spots to No. 20 in this week's AP Top 25 poll ... the Hogs split two SEC games last week ... pic.twitter.com/rPHwuXagGI

— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) January 19, 2026

Vanderbilt offers better measuring stick

A win Tuesday won’t erase the poll dip, but it will matter more than the dip ever did. A loss won’t end anything, either, but it will add another lesson to a growing file Calipari expects his team to study.

That’s the difference between January rankings and March results. One gets debated. The other decides seasons.

Arkansas will keep hearing about its ranking because rankings fill space and spark reaction. Calipari will keep ignoring most of it because the Razorbacks aren’t finished becoming whatever they’re going to be.

They rarely are at this point.

The poll may move again next week. The work won’t stop either way.

Key takeaways

• Arkansas dropped to No. 20 in the AP Top 25 after splitting games last week.
• January rankings offer limited insight into March readiness.
• Tuesday night’s game against Vanderbilt Commodores provides a more meaningful test than poll position for the Arkansas Razorbacks.