Scouting Report: Arkansas Faces Size, Depth Test Against Arizona in Sweet 16

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to face their stiffest test of the NCAA Tournament in San Jose on Thursday when they take the court against No. 1 seed Arizona.

Coach John Calipari's Hogs have earned their second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, and fifth in the last six seasons. The Razorbacks soundly defeated Hawaii in the first round and then snuck out of the Moda Center in Portland with a victory over an upset minded High Point squad.

How To Watch

WHO: No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats (34-2) vs. No. 4 seed Arkansas Razorbacks (28-8)
WHERE: SAP Center in San Jose, California
WHEN: Thursday, March 26 at 8:45 p.m. CT
TV/STREAM: CBS/Paramount+
SERIES: Arkansas leads 6-2

Scouting Arizona

What Arkansas likes to do is drive its guards to the hoop, seek contact, finish at the rim, or space the floor to create open shots from mid-range and three-point land. That type of philosophy could be altered when the Razorbacks take the court and face Arizona's size advantage in the paint.

Meet the Wildcats' 7-foot-2 rim protector Motiejus Krivas, who provides a key interior presence to the front court. While he hasn't been an overwhelming scoring threat this season, he owns a huge size advantage at the basket that will force Arkansas to adjust its shots down low or find a way to screen the big man to pull him away from the basket.

Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) and Utah State Aggies forward Karson Templin (22) fight for possession in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Arkansas center Malique Ewin has played well during Arkansas' postseason run in tournament play, including back-to-back double-doubles in Portland against Hawaii and High Point. He'll play a pivotal role as a decoy to allow teammates like Darius Acuff, Meleek Thomas, DJ Wagner and Billy Richmond to penetrate the lane.

On the offensive end, Ewin is hard to keep off the offensive glass even when going up against larger bodies such as Krivas. He has pulled down 101 offensive rebounds, and is averaging at least four over the previous 11 games.

His emergence in the post has helped Arkansas to a 9-2 record down the stretch.

Arizona's Koa Peat is the epitome of a stretch forward who can be a nightmare mismatch for any team in the country. He's capable of scoring in bunches and averages just under 15 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.

Peat has five double-doubles as a freshman and the Wildcats are 5-0 when they get that type of production from him in the post.

Where Arkansas Can Get Ahead

The Wildcats are most vulnerable when having to speed up decision making, which is how Utah State trimmed an 18-point second half deficit to four. Eight of Arizona's 11 turnovers came in the final 20 minutes and it almost cost them a show at a third consecutive Sweet 16.

Arkansas Razorbacks Darius Acuff against High Point in the NCAA Tournament. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

Calipari's team has created turnovers all season which translates to transition baskets on the other end. The Razorbacks' opportunistic mindset allowed them to force 12 turnovers per game while scoring over 19 points per game in transition.

if Arkansas can find ways to flash into passing lanes, get out and run off rebounds and figure out how to get Krivas away from the basket enough, it would help the Razorbacks' case to advance to the Elite 8.

Parrallells to 2022 Hogs

One interesting nugget that was shared this weekend is how identical Arkansas' NCAA Tournament run has been to the 2022 team.

2022	2026
First Round: No. 13 Vermont, W 75-71	First Round: No. 13 Hawaii, W 97-78
Second Round: No. 12 New Mexico State, W 53-48	Second Round: No. 12 High Point, W 94-88
Sweet 16: No. 1 Gonzaga, W 74-68	Sweet 16: No. 1 Arizona, N/A

Thank you to my Grant County friend Calvin Whitaker for sharing that with me Sunday evening.

Slowing Down the 'Zona Backcourt

Probably the biggest reason for the Wildcats' success this season is its dominant backcourt in Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley and true freshman guard Brayden Burries.

Arizona doesn't shoot a whole lot of threes, but are efficient when needed, drilling 36% of attempts. The 'Cats tout an effective field goal rate of 54.9% which ranks No. 49 nationally while Arkansas ranks No. 15 overall at 56.5%.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the sidelines during game against High Point. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

Bradley and Burries combine for 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game this season which are numbers Arkansas' guards Darius Acuff and Meleek Thomas clear by 10 points alone.

Arkansas' perimeter defense is among the best in the nation, ranking No. 58 nationally while allowing teams to make 31% of attempts. If the Razorbacks can limit the combination of Bradley and Burries under their combined average of 39% from deep, there's certainly a case for the Hogs to advance.

Who Has the Edge?

Point Guard: Arkansas

There hasn't been a more dominant lead guard in the country that has produced like Acuff's. He can score at will at every level of the halfcourt and elevates his teammates' play each possession.

Bradley made his case as the best player in the Big 12 throughout the season and his impact on the court is visible at all times. He makes all the right plays at the right time with less than two turnovrs per game.

When Acuff steps on the floor of the SAP Center Thursday there will be no question who the best player is.

Shooting Guard: Arizona

Both Meleek Thomas and Burries will be one to watch as both are prolific scorers at each level, including a knack for knocking down clutch shots beyond the arc.

Burries edges out Thomas in effective field goal percentage 57.8% to 52.3%, but each is prolific scorers while also playing quality defense.

However, Arizona might have the slight edge as Burries' adjusted shooting efficiency in postseason play sits at 63.8%.

Wing: Arkansas

Whowever needs to be locked down on the perimeter will be guarded by Billy Richmond, who brings tremendous energy to the court at all times. He is capable of guarding all five spots on the floor and has the highest defensive win share rate of anyone on the Arkansas roster.

His energy allows him to make clutch plays at the best times, and has developed a quality jump shot (67.6% effective field goal percentage). He can block shots, pick pockets and helps the Razorbacks get out in transition more times than not.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile dunking against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a game at American Airlines Center in Dallas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

Forward: Arizona

As mentioned earlier, the Razorbacks will have to figure out how to prevent its bigs from being eaten alive in the post. Veteran forward Trevon Brazile brings extra length, but will often give up lay-ups despite his size advantage.

Then, other times he'll make highlight reel blocks all over the place. If he can limit Peat, who can score in bunches and also go quiet in key stretches, then Arkansas can have the advantage.

From a talent standpoint, the Wildcats are deeper and more talented, which gives them the advantage here.

Center: Arizona

Stopping Krivas on the glass is going to be a stiff challenge given how good he can be at giving Arizona extra opportunities.

Any team that Arkansas has played that touts a size advantage has been able to take control of a game and wear down the Razorbacks effectiveness offensively.

Whether the opponent was Michigan State, Duke, Houston or Florida, Arkansas struggled at times and might do so again. History often repeats itself which makes it hard to trust the Razorbacks in the post Thursday night.