Breaking Down All 5 Arkansas Starters Before Game vs. MSU
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No. 22 Michigan State is preparing for an early-season test against No. 14 Arkansas on Saturday that gives the Spartans an opportunity to gain tons of momentum early in the season and notch a resume win that could have dividends come March.
Such chances are difficult to capitalize on, though. The Razorbacks looked strong during their season opener against Southern and are coached by Hall of Famer John Calipari.
Between him and MSU's Tom Izzo, the two coaches have combined for 1,574 collegiate wins during their careers (with Calipari's vacated ones included).
These are the five guys Arkansas started during its season opener:
G Darius Acuff (Fr.)
Stats vs. Southern: 22 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk, 2 tov | 8-for-13 FGs, 3-for-5 threes
He's a freshman, but it is no surprise that Darius Acuff was an impact player for Arkansas during his first collegiate game.
Acuff was a five-star prospect and the No. 5 overall recruit in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports. He is the third-highest-rated prospect to commit to Arkansas, as well.
On a recent NBA mock draft from CBS Sports, Acuff was projected to go seventh overall to the Sacramento Kings.
G D.J. Wagner (Jr.)
Stats vs. Southern: 8 pts, 4 rebs, 7 asts, 2 stls, 1 blks, 2 tov | 3-for-11 shooting, 2-for-7 threes
D.J. Wagner is another impact player that the Razorbacks have. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists per game last season and started every single game Arkansas played.
He is another five-star on the Razorbacks' roster, initially going to Kentucky for his freshman year, where he made the SEC's All-Freshman Team, before following Calipari to Arkansas after he left the Wildcats.
F Billy Richmond III (So.)
Stats vs. Southern: 6 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk | 2-for-4 shooting, 0-for-2 threes
Billy Richmond III is another player who was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. He was No. 27 in the class of 2024 and just received five-star status on the 247Sports Composite.
The kicker is that Richmond probably will not be a full-time starter for the Razorbacks this year. Karter Knox, who started 24 games last year, missed the Southern game and is questionable to play against MSU.
In Knox's place, Richmond got his first career start. Last year, he averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds on 17.5 minutes per game off the bench.
F Trevon Brazile (R-Sr.)
Stats vs. Southern: 25 pts, 11 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl | 8-for-14 shooting, 1-for-3 threes
An athletic forward who could cause problems for Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler or Carson Cooper, Brazile is coming off what is maybe the best game of his career. His 25 points against the Jaguars were a career-high, and the 11 rebounds are tied for sixth in a game during his five years in college.
Brazile spent his freshman season at Missouri before transferring to Arkansas to play for then-coach Eric Musselman (now at USC). Obviously, he decided to stay in Fayetteville, and his final year of college basketball is off to a great start.
F Nick Pringle (6th-Year)
Stats vs. Southern: 8 pts, 8 rebs | 4-for-7 shooting
Nick Pringle is the college journeyman on Arkansas' roster to match MSU's Trey Fort. Like him, Pringle is still eligible as a sixth-year senior thanks to the free COVID year and the JUCO rule.
To quickly sum up Pringle's career: he began at Wofford during the pandemic, went to Dodge City CC for a year, spent two years at Alabama, one at South Carolina, and is now at Arkansas.
With the Gamecocks last season, Pringle averaged 9.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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