Exhibition against Gonzaga gives Hogs fans first look at new faces

Basketball season in Fayetteville finally has a date on it, and Gonzaga’s the first team through the door.

The Hogs held a media day Tuesday. Reporters got a 20-minute window to talk with as many players as they could catch.

That window didn’t include coach John Calipari. He spoke before the players did and was pretty straight up about his friendship with Gonzaga coach Mark Few.

Next comes Saturday. The No. 12 Hogs host the No. 15 Bulldogs at 3 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena.

Don’t get too worked up about the final score. It won’t count and neither will the stats. Think of it as a practice with a scoreboard and a crowd. It’s probably a dress rehearsal for everybody in the building, cheer squads and band included.

The real reason to show up is to see who these guys are, since most of them are brand new. By every account, they’re young and talented.

Two old friends swap notes

Calipari and Few go back a long way. Their friendship started when Calipari was still coaching at Memphis.

They’re close enough that they talked shop earlier this week.

Calipari told Connor Goodson of 247Sports that the two coaches agreed to leave zone defense in the locker room.

“Neither one of us are playing zone,” Calipari said.

Most SEC coaches won’t even tell you their starting lineup.

The two also agreed to press each other. Pressure causes turnovers and turnovers give coaches something to fix.

Cal even handed Few his out-of-bounds plays. Few sent his right back.

Neither coach is chasing a trophy Saturday. Both want a clear look at their teams before the games start counting.

Razorbacks still want a fight

That doesn’t mean Calipari’s hoping for a lazy afternoon. He told Samuel Stubbs of Hogs On SI that he wants a real battle. He added that a loss can sometimes wake up a young team in a way a win can’t.

Don’t expect him to say that in March.

His players aren’t treating it like a scrimmage either. Freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. told Stubbs that people who say exhibitions don’t matter have it wrong. He said even small steps forward are worth chasing.

Junior guard Billy Richmond III told Stubbs the team’s energy will tell the story. He said his teammates are tired of practice and want to play in front of fans.

Arkansas has a habit of scheduling big names for these warmups. The Razorbacks beat Cincinnati last year.

Two years ago, Calipari’s debut on the Hogs’ bench came in an unofficial win over a Kansas team ranked No. 1 at the time.

Before that, Eric Musselman’s last Arkansas team beat Purdue 81-77 in overtime. Gonzaga fits right into that tradition.

Names worth learning

There are eight freshmen on this roster. Good luck memorizing all those new jerseys. The most interesting thing about this team might be its length, because there’s plenty of height to go around.

Start with Miikka Muurinen. He’s a 7-footer from Finland who missed the summer trip to the Bahamas while waiting on his eligibility.

He’s cleared now. Muurinen told Goodson his summer focus was making the right read on offense and defense.

Smith is another freshman to track. Calipari has already praised the guard’s competitive streak.

Goodson wrote that Jeremiah Wilkinson and Amere Brown crashed Muurinen’s interview and played reporter for a minute. When Wilkinson tried to slip in a question, Muurinen just laughed and told him to sit down.

Those guys clearly like each other.

Depth looks different this time

Calipari’s Arkansas teams have usually opened the season nursing bumps and bruises. This one’s no different.

This time he’s got bodies. In past years, Cal was stuck playing five or six guys. He expects 10 or 11 to be ready Saturday.

Depth matters when both teams press baseline to baseline.

Calipari’s message to fans was simple. “Come and enjoy watching these guys,” he said.

The game streams on SEC Network+ and airs on the Razorback Sports Network.

So grab a seat and figure out who’s who. The games that count will get here soon enough, and by then you’ll want to know which freshman can break a press.