2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record16–17 (6–12 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaBud Walton Arena
(Capacity: 19,368)
Seasons
2023–24 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Tennessee 14 – 4   .778 27 – 9   .750
No. 20 Kentucky 13 – 5   .722 23 – 10   .697
No. 3т Alabama 13 – 5   .722 25 – 12   .676
No. 18 Auburn † 13 – 5   .722 27 – 8   .771
No. 24 South Carolina 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765
Florida 11 – 7   .611 24 – 12   .667
Texas A&M 9 – 9   .500 21 – 15   .583
LSU 9 – 9   .500 17 – 16   .515
Mississippi State 8 – 10   .444 21 – 14   .600
Ole Miss 7 – 11   .389 20 – 12   .625
Georgia 6 – 12   .333 20 – 17   .541
Arkansas 6 – 12   .333 16 – 17   .485
Vanderbilt 4 – 14   .222 9 – 23   .281
Missouri 0 – 18   .000 8 – 24   .250
† 2024 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by head coach Eric Musselman in his fifth and final year, and played its home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 16–17, 6–12 in SEC play to finish in a tie for 11th place. As the No. 12 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Vanderbilt before losing to South Carolina in the second round. It was Arkansas' first losing season since 2009-10.

On April 4, 2024, head coach Eric Musselman left the school to become the head coach at USC.[1] On April 10, the school hired Kentucky coach John Calipari as the team's new head coach.[2]

The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 19,106 in 18 games in 2023-24.[3]

Previous season

The Razorbacks finished the 2022–23 season 22–14, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in a tie for ninth place. In the SEC tournament, the Razorbacks defeated Auburn in the second round before losing to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the West. They would defeat Illinois before upsetting No. 1 seeded Kansas in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive year. There they lost to eventual national champion UConn.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Anthony Black 0 G 6'7" 198 Freshman Duncanville, TX Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Ricky Council IV 1 G 6'6" 205 Junior Durham, NC Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Nick Smith Jr. 3 G 6'5" 185 Freshman Jacksonville, AR Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Jordan Walsh 13 F 6'7" 205 Freshman Desoto, TX Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Barry Dunning 12 G 6'6" 195 Freshman Mobile, AL Transferred to UAB
Makhel Mitchell 22 F 6'10" 240 Senior Washington, D.C. Transferred to Little Rock
Derrian Ford 23 G 6'3" 205 Freshman Magnolia, AR Transferred to Arkansas State

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Khalif Battle 0 G 6'5" 185 Senior Metuchen, NJ Temple
Keyon Menifield 1 G 6'1" 150 Sophomore Flint, MI Washington
El Ellis 3 G 6'3" 180 Senior Durham, NC Louisville
Denijay Harris 7 F 6'7" 200 Senior Columbus, MS Southern Miss
Tramon Mark 12 G 6'6" 185 Junior Dickinson, TX Houston
Chandler Lawson 14 F 6'8" 215 Senior Memphis, TN Memphis
Jeremiah Davenport 24 F 6'6" 215 Senior Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati

Sources:[4][5]

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

Arkansas signed two high school athletes for the 2023 class, which can sign in the early signing period in November 2022.

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Layden Blocker
PG 		Little Rock, Arkansas Sunrise Christian Academy Wichita, Kansas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 25, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Baye Fall
C 		Dakar, Senegal Accelerated Schools Denver, Colorado 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 15, 2022 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 21  247Sports: 13  ESPN: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arkansas 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaiah Elohim
SG 		Chatsworth, California Sierra Canyon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 5, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Jalen Shelley
SF 		Frisco, Texas Link Academy Branson, Missouri 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 11, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 12  247Sports: 14
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Khalif Battle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Trenton Catholic High School (Trenton, New Jersey)
Temple 		Hillside, New Jersey
G 1 Keyon Menifield 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 150 lb (68 kg) So PHHoenix Prep HS (Phoenix, Arizona)
Washington 		Flint, Michigan
F 2 Trevon Brazile 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Kickapoo HS
Missouri 		Springfield, Missouri
G 3 El Ellis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
Louisville 		Durham, North Carolina
G 4 Davonte Davis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Jacksonville HS Jacksonville, Arkansas
G 5 Joseph Pinion 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Morrilton High School Morrilton, Arkansas
G 6 Layden Blocker 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kansas) Little Rock, Arkansas
F 7 Denijay Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Columbus HS (Columbus, Mississippi)
Southern Miss 		Columbus, Mississippi
C 10 Baye Fall 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Accelerated Schools (Denver, Colorado) Dakar, Senegal
F 11 Jalen Graham 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Mountain Pointe High School
Arizona State 		Phoenix, Arizona
G 12 Tramon Mark 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Dickinson HS
Houston 		Dickinson, Texas
F 8 Chandler Lawson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Wooddale HS
Memphis 		Memphis, Tennessee
C 15 Makhi Mitchell 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Jackson-Reed High School
Rhode Island 		Washington, D.C.
G 21 Cade Arbogast (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr De La Salle High School
Lane Community College 		Concord, California
F 24 Jeremiah Davenport 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Virginia)
Cincinnati 		Cincinnati, Ohio
C 45 Lawson Blake (W) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Fayetteville High School
Link Year Prep 		Fayetteville, Arkansas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 20, 2023*
6:30 p.m. 		No. 14 UT Tyler W 92–39  –
  14 – Battle   7 – Davis   4 – Ellis  Bud Walton Arena (7,046)
Fayetteville, AR
October 28, 2023*
3:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 14 No. 3 Purdue
Charity exhibition 		W 81–77 OT –
  15 – Tied   6 – Mark   4 – Brazile  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 14 Alcorn State W 93–59  1–0
  21 – Battle   8 – Graham   5 – Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 14 Gardner–Webb W 86–68  2–0
  21 – Battle   7 – Brazile   3 – Ellis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 13, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 14 Old Dominion W 86–77  3–0
  17 – Ellis   10 – Mitchell   8 – Ellis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 17, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		No. 14 UNC Greensboro L 72–78  3–1
  21 – Mark   9 – Brazile   2 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
November 22, 2023*
2:30 p.m., ESPNU 		No. 20 vs. Stanford
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals 		W 77–74 2OT 4–1
  25 – Mark   17 – Brazile   3 – Davis  Imperial Arena (820)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 23, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 20 vs. Memphis
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals 		L 79–84  4–2
  21 – Battle   10 – Brazile   3 – Ellis  Imperial Arena (982)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 24, 2023*
12:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 20 vs. No. 14 North Carolina
Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game 		L 72–87  4–3
  34 – Mark   5 – Mark   2 – Lawson  Imperial Arena (1,456)
Paradise Island, Bahamas
November 29, 2023*
8:15 p.m., ESPN 		No. 7 Duke
ACC–SEC Challenge 		W 80–75  5–3
  21 – Battle   11 – Brazile   6 – Ellis  Bud Walton Arena (20,344)
Fayetteville, AR
December 4, 2023*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		Furman W 97–83  6–3
  25 – Battle   10 – Davis   8 – Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 9, 2023*
3:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 19 Oklahoma
Crimson & Cardinal Classic 		L 70–79  6–4
  13 – Battle   6 – Mitchell   2 – Tied  BOK Center (17,485)
Tulsa, OK
December 16, 2023*
5:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		vs. Lipscomb W 69–66  7–4
  17 – Mark   6 – Brazile   4 – Blocker  Simmons Bank Arena (16,361)
North Little Rock, AR
December 21, 2023*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		Abilene Christian W 83–73  8–4
  25 – Mark   11 – Mark   2 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
December 30, 2023*
6:00 p.m., SECN 		UNC Wilmington W 106–90  9–4
  32 – Menifield   8 – Brazile   6 – Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
SEC regular season
January 6, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 25 Auburn L 51–83  9–5
(0–1) 		 14 – Menifield   7 – Brazile   4 – Menifield  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 10, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Georgia L 66–76  9–6
(0–2) 		 24 – Mark   7 – Mark   3 – Tied  Stegeman Coliseum (7,820)
Athens, GA
January 13, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Florida L 68–90  9–7
(0–3) 		 14 – Blocker   7 – Brazile   3 – Davenport  O'Connell Center (10,445)
Gainesville, FL
January 16, 2024
8:00 p.m., SECN 		Texas A&M W 78–77  10–7
(1–3) 		 35 – Mark   6 – Tied   4 – Lawson  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 20, 2024
12:00 p.m., SECN 		South Carolina L 64–77  10–8
(1–4) 		 18 – Mark   7 – Lawson   2 – Ellis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 24, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Ole Miss L 51–77  10–9
(1–5) 		 11 – Battle   4 – Tied   3 – Blocker  SJB Pavilion (8,207)
Oxford, MS
January 27, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 6 Kentucky
College GameDay 		L 57–63  10–10
(1–6) 		 12 – Mitchell   13 – Mitchell   3 – Mark  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
January 31, 2024
7:30 p.m., SECN 		at Missouri W 91–84  11–10
(2–6) 		 22 – Mark   14 – Mitchell   4 – Graham  Mizzou Arena (11,020)
Columbia, MO
February 3, 2024
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		at LSU L 74–95  11–11
(2–7) 		 20 – Mark   6 – Mark   4 – Mitchell  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (7,880)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 10, 2024
5:00 p.m., SECN 		Georgia W 78–75  12–11
(3–7) 		 15 – Tied   5 – Tied   3 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 14, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 8 Tennessee L 63–92  12–12
(3–8) 		 12 – Mark   7 – Graham   4 – Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 17, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Mississippi State L 67–71  12–13
(3–9) 		 21 – Mitchell   9 – Mitchell   4 – Ellis  Humphrey Coliseum (9,219)
Starkville, MS
February 20, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Texas A&M W 78–71  13–13
(4–9) 		 26 – Mark   13 – Mitchell   5 – Mark  Reed Arena (8,789)
College Station, TX
February 24, 2024
11:00 a.m., ESPN2 		Missouri W 88–73  14–13
(5–9) 		 42 – Battle   9 – Davis   6 – Davis  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
February 27, 2024
8:00 p.m., SECN 		Vanderbilt L 82–85  14–14
(5–10) 		 36 – Battle   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 2, 2024
12:30 p.m., CBS 		at No. 16 Kentucky L 102–111  14–15
(5–11) 		 34 – Battle   8 – Battle   3 – Mark  Rupp Arena (20,322)
Lexington, KY
March 6, 2024
6:00 p.m., SECN 		LSU W 94–83  15–15
(6–11) 		 29 – Battle   8 – Mark   5 – Mark  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 9, 2024
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		at No. 16 Alabama L 88–92 OT 15–16
(6–12) 		 22 – Battle   7 – Battle   3 – Ellis  Coleman Coliseum (11,031)
Tuscaloosa, AL
SEC Tournament
March 13, 2024
6:00 p.m., SECN 		(12) vs. (13) Vanderbilt
First Round 		W 90–85 OT 16–16
  24 – Battle   12 – Brazile   3 – Tied  Bridgestone Arena 
Nashville, TN
March 14, 2024
2:30 p.m., SECN 		(12) vs. (5) No. 15 South Carolina
Second Round 		L 66–80  16–17
  20 – Battle   7 – Battle   4 – Graham  Bridgestone Arena (11,638)
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[6]

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP141420RVRV———————————————RV
Coaches1414RVRV—————————————————

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.

References

  1. ^ "USC hires Arkansas' Eric Musselman to replace Andy Enfield as men's basketball coach". AP News. April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ ERIC W. BOLIN (April 15, 2024). "Arkansas hires John Calipari to coach the Razorbacks, a day after stepping down from Kentucky". GettysburgTimes.com. Associated Press. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ http://fs.ncaa.org.s3.amazonaws.com/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Attend.pdf
  4. ^ "2023 Arkansas Basketball Transfer Portal". On3.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  5. ^ Davis, Jacob. "Arkansas Basketball Transfer and Roster Tracker: Thursday 4/6 Update". Arkansas Fight. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "2023-24 Arkansas Razorbacks Men's Schedule and Results". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.