Razorbacks Win Big on Road, But AP Voters Not Impressed

Arkansas handled SEC business Saturday, but Hogs left stuck in familiar territory.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reacts after a call during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Arkansas didn’t exactly have fans throwing celebration parties or jumping up and down this weekend. Most folks just nodded hearing the score.

But after a few gotcha moments and SEC chaos Saturday, the Hogs stayed right where they were still cozy at No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Arkansas, coming off a dominant 88-68 road win at Mississippi State that was about as boring as Seattle's beatdown of New England in the Super Bowl, was handed the same ranking this Monday that it had last Monday.

If you listen to the hype crews, you’d think a big road win would shake up the poll a bit. But that win over a struggling Mississippi State with balanced scoring, strong assists, and a swagger that said “we ain’t done yet” got the Razorbacks nowhere new in the eyes of the voters.

In fact, Arkansas not only still sits at No. 21 in the AP poll, that's exactly where the Hogs fell in the USA Today Coaches Poll also.

Don’t get it twisted. The road win was no mirage.

Arkansas desperately needed a solution to its embarrassingly long losing streak in Starkville. That came in the form of shooting 52.2% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc while holding the Bulldogs to 45.9% shooting overall.

That’s something. But come Monday morning, the pollsters just shrugged, hung their Kentucky posters back on the wall and put Arkansas right back where they started. So long as Mark Pope and Otega Oweh's feet are firmly planted up the Hogs' backside, there was nothing to gain and everything to lose in the voters' eyes Saturday.

Even Hogs' coach John Calipari was more boring than usual after the game, going with what was another overstating of the obvious.

“Any time this team gets over 20 assists, we win,” Calipari said.

That’s coaching simplicity at its finest.

If you think about that like a philosopher pondering life’s purpose, it means pass the ball, make the shot, get the win. Hard to argue with that logic.

However, it's hard to argue with wins. Just, in this case, the win nailed a solid floor under the Razorbacks' feet rather than adding a rung to the AP ladder for them to climb.

New week, new opportunities to improve. pic.twitter.com/UEtNrZU3Vg

— Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball 🐗 (@RazorbackMBB) February 9, 2026

Razorbacks’ Scoring Set-up

The scoring column on that Mississippi State game looked like Arkansas was throwing a party and invited too many good players.

Darius Acuff Jr. led the way with 24 points and eight assists. Trevon Brazile had 19 and may be starting to come back to the form fans have been expecting.

Meleek Thomas chipped in 17 points because that's about what he does every game. Billy Richmond added 14 points and did the stuff he does just about every game.

Four players in double figures. That’s not a fluke. That’s balanced offense.

Stepped up when it mattered 💪 pic.twitter.com/0I8ySdxs3x

— Hogs Plus (@HogsPlus) February 7, 2026

Where Hogs Stand in Polls

Here’s the updated AP Top 25 picture this Monday:

1. Arizona
2. Michigan
3. Houston
4. Duke
5. Iowa State
6. UConn
7. Nebraska
8. Illinois
9. Kansas
10. Michigan State
11. North Carolina
12. Gonzaga
13. Purdue
14. Florida
15. Virginia
16. Texas Tech
17. St. John’s
18. Saint Louis
19. Vanderbilt
20. Clemson
21. Arkansas
22. BYU
23. Miami (OH)
24. Louisville
25. Kentucky

That’s a crowded field.

Arkansas is currently the third-highest ranked SEC team. Florida sits just ahead and Vanderbilt’s right there too, with Kentucky barely clinging to No. 25.

The Razorbacks still wear that league respect badge, even if it’s not glittering gold.

Now it’s back on the road to Baton Rouge to tangle with LSU. Win there and maybe the pollsters finally have to pay attention.

Lose and they could fall out of the thing.