John Calipari called the Hogs to a 1-0 start on Wednesday night as Arkansas began his highly anticipated coaching tenure with a 76-60 win over Lipscomb inside Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks used a 14-1 late run to pull away from the Bison, who proved to be a formidable opening night foe.
Sporting a burgundy blazer, Calipari navigated some tense moments with his new team as he began the fourth head coaching stint of his college basketball career. Lipscomb, which was picked to win the Atlantic Sun, led 17-12 early as Arkansas worked through some early jitters.
Though the Razorbacks never got their outside shooting on track, finishing 4 of 19 from beyond the arc, they turned 19 Lipscomb turnovers into 25 points while using pressure defense to flip the game late in the first half. Freshman guard Boogie Fland led Arkansas with 17 points on 7 of 18 shooting while FAU transfer Johnell Davis added 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting.
The opening salvo offered both encouraging early glimpses at the talent Calipari has assembled and also some caution flags. With just one player on the roster who suited up for the Razorbacks last season, Arkansas' cast of transfers and freshmen looked uncomfortable playing half-court offense.
Ultimately, just 10 of the Razorbacks' 34 made baskets (29.4%) came on assists. By comparison, the last-place team in the country in assist rate last season was at 35.2%. The Razorbacks' 4 of 19 mark from beyond the arc was also reflective of the team's struggles to consistently find quality looks within the flow of its offense.
But the poor outside shooting performance came as no surprise after Arkansas shot just 27.1% from 3-point range over a two-game exhibition slate that included a win over Kansas and a loss to TCU. As for bright spots, the play of Davis stood out after he struggled in the exhibitions.
Zvonimir Ivišić also looked good as the 7-foot-2 Kentucky transfer finished with 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting and three blocks in just 21 minutes.
While seeing Arkansas grind out a 16-point win a season-opening buy game was no shock, the visual of Calipari wearing the colors of another SEC team was a reminder of how much has changed since his final Kentucky team suffered a stunning loss to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
The floor at Arkansas is now adorned with a Tyson Foods logo, which offered a reminder about how the Razorbacks lured Calipari to another SEC job after 15 seasons with the Wildcats. With the help of billionaire Tyson Foods CEO John Tyson, Arkansas inked Calipari to a five-year deal worth $38 million before potential bonuses.
The average salary in excess of $7 million falls short of what Calipari made at Kentucky but is roughly $3 million per year more than what the Razorbacks paid predecessor Eric Musselman, who left for USC after the 2023-24 season.