2017–18 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2017-18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by Mike Anderson, who was in his seventh season. The Razorbacks played their home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season 23–12, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. As the No. 6 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated South Carolina and Florida before losing in the semifinals to Tennessee. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Butler.

2017–18 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	23–12 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach	Mike Anderson (7th season)
Assistant coaches	Melvin Watkins T. J. Cleveland Scotty Thurman
Home arena	Bud Walton Arena
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 19 Auburn	13	–	5		.722			26	–	8		.765
No. 13 Tennessee	13	–	5		.722			26	–	9		.743
No. 23 Florida	11	–	7		.611			21	–	13		.618
No. 18 Kentucky †	10	–	8		.556			26	–	11		.703
Missouri	10	–	8		.556			20	–	13		.606
Arkansas	10	–	8		.556			23	–	12		.657
Mississippi State	9	–	9		.500			25	–	12		.676
Texas A&M	9	–	9		.500			22	–	13		.629
Alabama	8	–	10		.444			20	–	16		.556
LSU	8	–	10		.444			18	–	15		.545
Georgia	7	–	11		.389			18	–	15		.545
South Carolina	7	–	11		.389			17	–	16		.515
Vanderbilt	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
Ole Miss	5	–	13		.278			12	–	20		.375
† 2018 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Senior guard Jaylen Barford was named first-team All-SEC, while senior guard Daryl Macon was a second-team All-SEC selection. Freshman center Daniel Gafford was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. On March 26, 2018, Gafford announced he would forgo the 2018 NBA draft and would be returning to Arkansas for his sophomore season.

Previous season

The Razorbacks finished the 2016–17 season 26–10, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third. In the SEC tournament, the defeated Ole Miss and Vanderbilt before losing to Kentucky in the tournament championship. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years as a #8 seed in the South region. There, they defeated #9 Seton Hall before falling to top seed and eventual national champion North Carolina in the round of 32.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Dusty Hannahs	3	G	6'3"	210	Senior	Little Rock, Arkansas	Graduated
Brachen Hazen	12	F	6'8"	195	Freshman	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Transferred
Manuale Watkins	21	G	6'3"	220	Senior	Fayetteville, Arkansas	Graduated
Moses Kingsley	33	C	6'10"	230	Senior	Abuja, Nigeria	Graduated

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Daniel Gafford F	El Dorado, Arkansas	El Dorado High School	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 1, 2015
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Khalil Garland G	Little Rock, Arkansas	Parkview High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jul 16, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Darious Hall F	Little Rock, Arkansas	Mills University Studies High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Mar 15, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Gabe Osabuohien F	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Southwest Christian Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	May 24, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016.

2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Isaiah Joe SG	Fort Smith, AR	Northside High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Aug 2, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Desi Sills PG	Jonesboro, AR	Jonesboro High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Aug 19, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Ethan Henderson PF	Little Rock, AR	Parkview Magnet High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sep 5, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Keyshawn Embery PG	Oklahoma City, OK	Midwest City High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sep 16, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Jordan Phillips SF	Cedar Hill, TX	Cedar Hill High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 8, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A
Reggie Chaney PF	Frisco, TX	Findlay Prep	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Oct 28, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:
Mason Jones SG	Warner, OK	Connors State College	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Apr 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "2018 Arkansas Commits". Rivals.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2017–18 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Jaylen Barford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr South Side HS Motlow State CC Jackson, Tennessee PF 1 Trey Thompson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Sr Forrest City HS Madison, Arkansas SF 2 Adrio Bailey 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Lakeview HS Campti, Louisiana SG 3 Khalil Garland 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School Little Rock, Arkansas SG 4 Daryl Macon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Parkview HS Holmes CC Little Rock, Arkansas SF 5 Arlando Cook 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Madison Prep Connors State College St. Louis, Missouri PF 10 Daniel Gafford 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Fr El Dorado High School El Dorado, Arkansas SG 11 Jalen Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Word of God Christian Academy New Mexico Raleigh, North Carolina SG 15 Jonathan Holmes 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Columbia High School Columbia, Illinois SF 20 Darious Hall 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Mills University Studies High School Little Rock, Arkansas SF 22 Gabe Osabuohien 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Southwest Christian Academy Toronto SG 23 C.J. Jones 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Central Park Christian HS Birmingham, Alabama PG 31 Anton Beard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr North Little Rock HS North Little Rock, Arkansas	Head coach Mike Anderson (Tulsa) Assistant coach(es) Melvin Watkins (Charlotte) T. J. Cleveland (Arkansas) Scotty Thurman (Arkansas) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster Last update: 2018-03-06

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 27, 2017* 7:00 p.m.		Central Oklahoma	W 78–66		Bud Walton Arena (13,272) Fayetteville, AR
Nov 3, 2017* 7:00 p.m.		Missouri Western	W 88–74		Bud Walton Arena (13,291) Fayetteville, AR
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 p.m.		Samford	W 95–56	1–0	Bud Walton Arena (13,407) Fayetteville, AR
Nov 12, 2017* 5:00 p.m., SECN		Bucknell	W 101–73	2–0	Bud Walton Arena (13,404) Fayetteville, AR
Nov 17, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		Fresno State	W 83–75	3–0	Bud Walton Arena (15,051) Fayetteville, AR
Nov 23, 2017* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2		vs. Oklahoma PK80 tournament Victory Bracket quarterfinals	W 92–83	4–0	Moda Center (11,294) Portland, OR
Nov 24, 2017* 2:30 p.m., ESPN		vs. No. 9 North Carolina PK80 Tournament Victory Bracket semifinals	L 68–87	4–1	Veterans Memorial Coliseum (6,603) Portland, OR
Nov 26, 2017* 2:00 p.m., ESPN		vs. UConn PK80 Tournament Victory Bracket 3rd place game	W 102–67	5–1	Moda Center (11,571) Portland, OR
Dec 2, 2017* 6:30 p.m., CBSSN		at Houston	L 65–91	5–2	H&PE Arena (4,186) Houston, TX
Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 p.m.		Colorado State	W 92–66	6–2	Bud Walton Arena (13,634) Fayetteville, AR
Dec 9, 2017* 5:45 p.m., SECN		No. 14 Minnesota	W 95–79	7–2	Bud Walton Arena (17,583) Fayetteville, AR
Dec 16, 2017* 7:00 p.m.		vs. Troy North Little Rock Showcase	W 88–63	8–2	Verizon Arena (16,416) North Little Rock, AR
Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3		Oral Roberts	W 104–69	9–2	Bud Walton Arena (13,945) Fayetteville, AR
Dec 27, 2017* 7:00 p.m., SECN		Cal State Bakersfield	W 95–68	10–2	Bud Walton Arena (15,829) Fayetteville, AR
Dec 30, 2017 12:00 p.m., SECN		No. 19 Tennessee	W 95–93 ^OT	11–2 (1–0)	Bud Walton Arena (18,696) Fayetteville, AR
Jan 2, 2018 8:00 p.m., SECN	No. 22	at Mississippi State	L 75–78	11–3 (1–1)	Humphrey Coliseum (6,324) Starkville, MS
Jan 6, 2018 5:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 22	at Auburn	L 77–88	11–4 (1–2)	Auburn Arena (8,950) Auburn, AL
Jan 10, 2018 8:00 p.m., SECN		LSU	L 54–75	11–5 (1–3)	Bud Walton Arena (15,199) Fayetteville, AR
Jan 13, 2018 5:00 p.m., ESPN2		Missouri	W 65–63	12–5 (2–3)	Bud Walton Arena (18,297) Fayetteville, AR
Jan 17, 2018 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Florida	L 73–88	12–6 (2–4)	O'Connell Center (9,929) Gainesville, FL
Jan 20, 2018 2:30 p.m., SECN		Ole Miss	W 97–93	13–6 (3–4)	Bud Walton Arena (18,030) Fayetteville, AR
Jan 23, 2018 5:30 p.m., SECN		at Georgia	W 80–77 ^2OT	14–6 (4–4)	Stegeman Coliseum (6,405) Athens, GA
Jan 27, 2018* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2		Oklahoma State Big 12/SEC Challenge	W 66–65	15–6	Bud Walton Arena (18,057) Fayetteville, Arkansas
Jan 30, 2018 8:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Texas A&M	L 66–80	15–7 (4–5)	Reed Arena (8,761) College Station, TX
Feb 3, 2018 2:30 p.m., SECN		at LSU	L 86–94	15–8 (4–6)	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,272) Baton Rouge, LA
Feb 6, 2018 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		South Carolina	W 81–65	16–8 (5–6)	Bud Walton Arena (14,956) Fayetteville, AR
Feb 10, 2018 7:30 p.m., SECN		Vanderbilt	W 72–54	17–8 (6–6)	Bud Walton Arena (17,083) Fayetteville, AR
Feb 13, 2018 6:00 p.m., SECN		at Ole Miss	W 75–64	18–8 (7–6)	The Pavilion at Ole Miss (6,023) Oxford, MS
Feb 17, 2018 3:00 p.m., ESPN		No. 21 Texas A&M	W 94–75	19–8 (8–6)	Bud Walton Arena (18,097) Fayetteville, AR
Feb 20, 2018 8:00 p.m., ESPN		Kentucky	L 72–87	19–9 (8–7)	Bud Walton Arena (18,083) Fayetteville, AR
Feb 24, 2018 5:00 p.m., SECN		at Alabama	W 76–73	20–9 (9–7)	Coleman Coliseum (15,383) Tuscaloosa, AL
Feb 27, 2018 8:00 p.m., SECN		No. 14 Auburn	W 91–82	21–9 (10–7)	Bud Walton Arena (15,733) Fayetteville, AR
Mar 3, 2018 5:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Missouri	L 67–77	21–10 (10–8)	Mizzou Arena (15,061) Columbia, MO
SEC Tournament
Mar 8, 2018 8:00 p.m., SECN	(6)	vs. (11) South Carolina Second Round	W 69–64	22–10	Scottrade Center (11,752) St. Louis, MO
Mar 9, 2018 8:00 p.m., SECN	(6)	vs. (3) Florida Quarterfinals	W 80–72	23–10	Scottrade Center (14,596) St. Louis, MO
Mar 10, 2018 2:30 p.m., ESPN	(6)	vs. (2) No. 13 Tennessee Semifinals	L 66–84	23–11	Scottrade Center (18,729) St. Louis, MO
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018* 2:10 p.m., truTV	(7 E)	vs. (10 E) Butler First Round	L 62–79	23–12	Little Caesars Arena (20,163) Detroit, MI
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Central Time.

References