Arkansas basketball didn’t need gaudy stat lines to impress its coaching staff during preseason play.
John Calipari made that clear right after his team finished a perfect week overseas.
“Numbers don’t matter — you’re being evaluated now, this isn’t eighth grade,” Calipari said following Tuesday’s finale. “Whoever scores the most gets their name in the paper. It’s not eighth grade anymore.
“You’re being evaluated by how you play, how you fight. Do you compete? Are you a battler? What else do you do to help the team win?”
Brad Calipari who coached the Razorbacks on Tuesday echoed that same message about growth over gaudy numbers when talking about two of the team’s newest additions.
“For Davion and Caleb both to catch on as quickly as they did and make the strides that they did was really helpful,” Brad said. “I think for Davion the basketball stuff is going to be good and he’s going to have to get better.
“But I think for me watching him the biggest thing is going to be his body his speed his strength his quickness.”
Razorbacks close out Baha Mar Hoops with dominant win
Those comments came after Arkansas wrapped up its Baha Mar Hoops Summer League preseason trip with a 105-48 blowout over the University of Calgary.
The Hogs locked in defensively in the second half holding the Dinos to just 19 points over those final 20 minutes.
That win kept a perfect streak going for the Razorbacks. Arkansas beat Toros del Valle 91-49 on Monday then rolled past Carleton University 99-48 on Saturday.
The trip opened last Friday with a 106-59 win over The Bahamas National Team.
Every single game stayed lopsided from start to finish. The Razorbacks were simply more athletic and more physical than anyone they lined up against all week.
John Calipari pointed out defense as the clear strength of his roster through four games.
Arkansas never let an opponent hit 60 points and turned steal after steal into fast break points. Even so he flagged one thing his team still needs to clean up before real games begin.
“Teams are gonna try to be shooting threes well we got to contest the three better,” Calipari said. “We got to leave our feet when they leave their feet stuff like that. There was some offensive stuff that I know now we have to have in that we didn’t. So we just left it and played with what we had.”
Ourigou and Thompson turn heads down low
Brad Calipari spoke highly of Caleb Ourigou who joined the program less than three weeks ago yet still posted a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds on Tuesday during his second straight start.
“For Caleb just understanding where we are continue getting his body right understanding how to play basketball with our guys and what we need him to do,” Brad said. “He does a really good job of being physical and rebounding and kind of being that enforcer piece for us. But as he gets time and develops his inside game he’s going to be another option for us in the post.”
Davion Thompson posted a quieter stat line on Tuesday with nine points and one made three-pointer on five attempts.
His overall trip still proved he can handle real minutes once Southeastern Conference play arrives. Brad said Thompson will keep sharpening his game against two of Arkansas’ toughest players every day in practice.
“When he gets that he’s going to be going against Jordan Smith and Jeremiah every day,” Brad said. “You have no choice but to get better. And if you don’t get stronger those two are going to body you.”
Smith Jr. shakes off leg scare
Jordan Smith Jr. gave fans a scare late in the first half on Tuesday when he went down grabbing his leg.
He sat out the rest of the game but FloSports cameras showed him laughing and talking with teammates from the bench soon after.
Neither Calipari addressed the injury in detail but nothing pointed toward a long absence for the No. 3 recruit in the 2026 class.
Smith had already logged 13 points and two assists without a turnover across 14 minutes before he left the floor.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas finished the Bahamas trip 4-0 and never allowed an opponent to reach 60 points
- John and Brad Calipari both praised effort and growth from Davion Thompson and Caleb Ourigou over raw stats
- Jordan Smith Jr. left Tuesday’s game early with a leg injury but looked fine on the bench
