# 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.
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

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Star ratings: 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

College recruiting information (2018) :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |||||||

## 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. ||||||