# 2023–24 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

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. On April 10, the school hired Kentucky coach John Calipari as the team's new head coach.
The Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 19,106 in 18 games in 2023–24.

## 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:

### 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: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: "Arkansas 2024 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023. |||||||

## 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

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 14 | 20 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV |
| Coaches | 14 | 14 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings.