Arkansas Basketball Projected Rotation: Who Starts, Who Backs Up, What's Unsettled

Arkansas Basketball Projected Rotation: Who Starts, Who Backs Up, What’s Unsettled

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Calipari Weighs Rotation Choices as Arkansas Basketball Opens Season Against UA-Pine Bluff

Fayetteville, Ark. — With the season opener against UA-Pine Bluff looming on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, Arkansas coach John Calipari faces a luxury and a headache: sorting through one of the deepest rosters of his Hall of Fame career. As si.com reported, the primary question for the Razorbacks isn’t who takes the floor for the opening tip, but how minutes get distributed once the game begins.

Throughout the offseason, Calipari leaned on a consistent starting unit featuring Jordan Smith Jr., Jeremiah Wilkinson, Billy Richmond III, Miikka Muurinen, and Cooper Bowser. That five is expected to remain intact when the game tips off. Yet, the real revelation during exhibition victories over No. 15 Gonzaga and Memphis was the production coming off the bench.

Managing an Overflow of Guard Depth and Frontcourt Surprises

The depth creates a math problem for the coaching staff. Several players have earned more court time than available minutes permit. Calipari noted this preseason that scoring distribution will likely scatter across multiple players rather than concentrating on a single high-volume scorer. That balance was evident when Jordan Smith Jr., the reigning Gatorade High School National Player of the Year, managed just one point on 0-for-9 shooting against Memphis.

Stepping into the void, 17-year-old freshman Davion Thompson sparked an 18-0 run with a clutch three-pointer and multiple defensive plays. Thompson has scored in double figures in each of his first two appearances. Meanwhile, freshmen JJ Andrews and Abdou Toure combined for 13 points, four assists, and three rebounds on a night when the starting backcourt struggled early.

The frontcourt has brought its own unexpected developments. Miikka Muurinen arrived as the projected starter at the stretch-four spot, but Maper Maker carved out extended minutes by utilizing a near 7-foot-7 wingspan to anchor the defense. Maker contributed seven points, five rebounds, and a steal in over 21 minutes against Memphis.

“Maper gives everything he can,” Calipari said following the victory over Memphis. “I’m comfortable playing him at the 5 and 4.”

Cooper Bowser Emerges in the Paint

Inside, former Furman transfer Cooper Bowser transformed from a quiet week in the Bahamas into a physical force. Bowser posted nine points and 10 rebounds while logging a team-best plus-12 rating in a 76-72 win against Gonzaga, averaging a near double-double through exhibition play.

Calipari suggested that Bowser’s resurgence stemmed entirely from confidence. While the 6-foot-11, 235-pound forward may not consistently hit double digits in scoring, his rebounding and rim protection address a glaring need from last season’s squad.

With matchups dictating the flow, the Razorbacks are tracking toward a fluid rotation. Projected minutes show Smith logging 29 minutes, Richmond at 28, Wilkinson at 25, Muurinen at 25, and Bowser at 21. Reserves like Andrews (18 minutes), Thompson (17 minutes), Toure (17 minutes), Maker (11 minutes), and Caleb Ourigou (10 minutes) round out the 200-minute allocation.

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