# 2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Eric Musselman, and played its home games at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference.

## Previous season

The Razorbacks finished second in the SEC standings and earned a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's South Regional. Arkansas advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1995–96 season, and then to the Elite Eight for the first time since the 1994–95 season. Freshman guard Moses Moody was named the SEC Freshman of the Year, 1st Team All-SEC, a freshman All-American, and AP Honorable Mention All-American. Moody was a lottery pick, drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 14th pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He was the first "one-and-done" player in school history.
The Razorbacks finished the season with an overall record of 25–7, 13–4 in SEC play, and finished ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the AP Poll.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Justin Smith | 0 | F | 6'7" | 230 | Senior | Buffalo Grove, Illinois | Graduated |
| Vance Jackson | 2 | F | 6'9" | 238 | Senior | Pasadena, California | Graduated |
| Jalen Tate | 11 | G | 6'6" | 175 | Senior | Pickerington, Ohio | Graduated |
| Abayomi Iyiola | 22 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Junior | Atlanta, Georgia | Transferred to Hofstra |
| Moses Moody | 5 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Freshman | Little Rock, Arkansas | Declared for 2021 NBA draft |
| Ethan Henderson | 24 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Junior | Little Rock, Arkansas | Transferred to Texas A&M |
| Desi Sills | 3 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Junior | Jonesboro, Arkansas | Transferred to Arkansas State |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Transfer from | Eligibility |
| Stanley Umude | 0 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Graduate Student | San Antonio, Texas | South Dakota | One year, beginning immediately |
| Trey Wade | 3 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Graduate Student | Marietta, Georgia | Wichita State | One year, beginning immediately |
| Au'Diese Toney | 5 | G | 6'6" | 205 | Senior | Huntsville, Alabama | Pittsburgh | Two years, beginning immediately |
| Chris Lykes | 11 | G | 5'7" | 160 | Graduate Student | Mitchellville, Maryland | Miami (FL) | One year, beginning immediately |
| Jaxson Robinson | 14 | G | 6'6" | 185 | Sophomore | Ada, Oklahoma | Texas A&M | Four years, beginning immediately |

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Chance Moore SG | Powder Springs, GA | McEachern (GA) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Aug 8, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 65 247Sports: 51 ESPN: — ||||||
| 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2021 Arkansas Razorbacks Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2020. ||||||

### 2022 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Nick Smith Jr. PG / SG | North Little Rock, Arkansas | North Little Rock High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 29, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 |||||||
| Jordan Walsh SF | Cedar Hill, Texas | Link Academy (Branson, MO) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 14, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 |||||||
| Anthony Black PG / SF | Duncanville, TX | Duncanville High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Mar 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 90 |||||||
| Derrian Ford CG | Magnolia, AR | Magnolia High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 14, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Barry Dunning SF | Mobile, AL | McGill-Toolen Catholic High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jul 5, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 |||||||
| Joseph Pinion SF | Morrilton, AR | Morrilton High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 23, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 2 247Sports: 2 ESPN: 2 |||||||
| 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022. |||||||

## Schedule and results

Arkansas played in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City in November; they were scheduled to play against Kansas State and either Illinois or Cincinnati. The Razorbacks defeated Kansas State before beating Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame Classic championship game. On February 8, the Razorbacks set a new attendance record of 20,361 against top-ranked Auburn.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 24, 2021* 3:00 p.m. | No. 16 | East Central | W 77–74 | – | 20 – Davis | 15 – Toney | 3 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| October 30, 2021* 4:00 p.m. | No. 16 | North Texas | W 68–60 | – | 21 – Notae | 5 – Umude | 4 – K. Robinson | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 16 | Mercer | W 74–61 | 1–0 | 27 – Notae | 8 – Toney | 5 – Williams | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 13, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 16 | Gardner–Webb | W 86–69 | 2–0 | 19 – Vanover | 8 – Williams | 6 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 16 | Northern Iowa | W 93–80 | 3–0 | 26 – Lykes | 9 – Umude | 9 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| November 22, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPNews | No. 13 | vs. Kansas State Hall of Fame Classic Semifinal | W 72–64 | 4–0 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Toney | 5 – Notae | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 23, 2021* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 13 | vs. Cincinnati Hall of Fame Classic Championship | W 73–67 | 5–0 | 19 – Toney | 11 – Williams | 4 – Williams | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 28, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN | No. 13 | Penn | W 76–60 | 6–0 | 28 – Notae | 9 – Tied | 6 – Williams | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 10 | Central Arkansas | W 97–60 | 7–0 | 17 – Umude | 12 – Williams | 7 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 4, 2021* 3:00 p.m., SECN+ | No. 10 | Little Rock | W 93–78 | 8–0 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Toney | 7 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 7, 2021* 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 12 | Charlotte | W 86–66 | 9–0 | 23 – Notae | 10 – Notae | 8 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 11, 2021* 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 12 | vs. Oklahoma Tulsa Showcase | L 66–88 | 9–1 | 26 – Davis | 7 – Williams | 3 – Tied | BOK Center (12,746) Tulsa, OK |
| December 18, 2021* 7:00 p.m. | No. 24 | vs. Hofstra | L 81–89 | 9–2 | 20 – Notae | 8 – Williams | 4 – Davis | Simmons Bank Arena (14,685) North Little Rock, AR |
| December 21, 2021* 6:00 p.m., SECN | | Elon | W 81–55 | 10–2 | 21 – Lykes | 7 – Notae, Johnson | 6 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| December 29, 2021 4:00 p.m., SECN | | at Mississippi State | L 68–81 | 10–3 (0–1) | 19 – Umude | 7 – Tied | 6 – Williams | Humphrey Coliseum (6,628) Starkville, MS |
| January 4, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | Vanderbilt | L 74–75 | 10–4 (0–2) | 28 – Umude | 10 – Williams | 5 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 8, 2022 12:00 p.m., SECN | | at Texas A&M | L 81–86 | 10–5 (0–3) | 31 – Notae | 11 – Williams | 7 – Davis | Reed Arena (7,967) College Station, TX |
| January 12, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | | Missouri | W 87–43 | 11–5 (1–3) | 19 – Notae | 10 – Williams | 4 – Davis | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 15, 2022 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 12 LSU | W 65–58 | 12–5 (2–3) | 19 – Notae | 13 – Williams | 4 – Notae | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,734) Baton Rouge, LA |
| January 18, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | | South Carolina | W 75–59 | 13–5 (3–3) | 19 – Williams | 9 – Williams | 5 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 22, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | Texas A&M | W 76–73 | 14–5 (4–3) | 17 – Notae | 11 – Williams | 4 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at Ole Miss | W 64–55 | 15–5 (5–3) | 25 – Notae | 8 – Williams | 5 – Tied | SJB Pavilion (6,642) Oxford, MS |
| January 29, 2022* 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. West Virginia Big 12/SEC Challenge | W 77–68 | 16–5 | 19 – Toney | 15 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 2, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Georgia | W 99–73 | 17–5 (6–3) | 31 – Umude | 9 – Notae | 7 – Lykes | Stegeman Coliseum (6,448) Athens, GA |
| February 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., SECN | | Mississippi State | W 63–55 | 18–5 (7–3) | 14 – Notae | 9 – Williams | 4 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 8, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | No. 1 Auburn | W 80–76 $^{OT}$ | 19–5 (8–3) | 28 – Notae | 11 – Williams | 3 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (20,361) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 12, 2022 11:00 a.m., SECN | | at Alabama | L 67–68 | 19–6 (8–4) | 22 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 3 – Tied | Coleman Coliseum (10,353) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| February 15, 2022 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 23 | at Missouri | W 76–57 | 20–6 (9–4) | 23 – Umude | 11 – Williams | 4 – Notae | Mizzou Arena (7,448) Columbia, MO |
| February 19, 2022 3:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 23 | No. 16 Tennessee | W 58–48 | 21–6 (10–4) | 13 – Tied | 16 – Williams | 2 – Tied | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| February 22, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 18 | at Florida | W 82–74 | 22–6 (11–4) | 20 – Notae | 10 – Williams | 4 – Davis | O'Connell Center (9,023) Gainesville, FL |
| February 26, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 18 | No. 6 Kentucky | W 75–73 | 23–6 (12–4) | 30 – Notae | 12 – Williams | 8 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| March 2, 2022 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | LSU | W 77–76 | 24–6 (13–4) | 23 – Umude | 11 – Williams | 5 – Notae | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| March 5, 2022 11:00 a.m., ESPN | No. 14 | at No. 13 Tennessee | L 74–78 | 24–7 (13–5) | 20 – Notae | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Notae | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2022 1:30 p.m., ESPN | (4) No. 15 | vs. (5) LSU Quarterfinals | W 79–67 | 25–7 | 22 – Toney | 11 – Williams | 3 – Notae | Amalie Arena (16,094) Tampa, FL |
| March 12, 2022 12:00 p.m., ESPN | (4) No. 15 | vs. (8) Texas A&M Semifinals | L 64–82 | 25–8 | 20 – Umude | 9 – Williams | 5 – Notae | Amalie Arena Tampa, FL |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 8:20 p.m., TNT | (4 W) No. 17 | vs. (13 W) Vermont First Round | W 75–71 | 26–8 | 21 – Umude | 9 – Tied | 4 – Notae | KeyBank Center (16,194) Buffalo, NY |
| March 19, 2022 7:40 p.m., TNT | (4 W) No. 17 | vs. (12 W) New Mexico State Second Round | W 53–48 | 27–8 | 18 – Notae | 15 – Williams | 3 – Tied | KeyBank Center (18,299) Buffalo, NY |
| March 24, 2022 6:09 p.m., CBS | (4 W) No. 17 | vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | W 74–68 | 28–8 | 21 – Notae | 12 – Williams | 6 – Notae | Chase Center (17,514) San Francisco, CA |
| March 26, 2022 7:49 p.m., TBS | (4 W) No. 17 | vs. (2 W) No. 9 Duke Elite Eight | L 69–78 | 28–9 | 17 – Williams | 10 – Williams | 4 – Notae | Chase Center (17,739) San Francisco, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

### Post-Season

Senior guard JD Notae was named to the AP and the Sporting News All-American teams as a third-team selection. Notae and sophomore forward Jaylin Williams were both named 1st Team All-SEC, and Williams was also placed on the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Notae and Williams were named to the NCAA Tournament West Regional Team.
Arkansas was the only SEC team to make it beyond the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Arkansas finished ranked in the final Coaches Poll at #8, marking the second year in a row they finished in the Top 10.
Notae and senior guard Au'Diese Toney declared for the NBA draft, while sophomore guard Khalen Robinson, freshman guard Chance Moore, and junior forward Connor Vanover elected to transfer.