Arkansas Dominates UAPB 106-61 in First-Ever Meeting

Arkansas Opens Season With 106-61 Rout of UAPB Behind Two Explosive Runs

The Arkansas Razorbacks opened their 2026-27 campaign with a statement Tuesday night, dismantling Arkansas-Pine Bluff 106-61 at Bud Walton Arena in a first-ever meeting between the two programs, Arkansas Razorbacks reported. The win extended Arkansas’ home-opening streak to 54 games and marked coach John Calipari’s third straight home opener victory at Arkansas.

Arkansas used a 25-0 run early in the first half and a 21-3 run in the second half for a 106-61 victory that improved the Razorbacks to 148-7 in games where they score at least 100 points.

A 25-0 Run That Silenced the Arena’s Doubts

UAPB scored first on a layup by Creed Williamson at 19:24, but Jeremiah Wilkinson answered immediately with a 3-pointer, and the Hogs never looked back. From 19:10 to 11:28, Arkansas reeled off 25 unanswered points, building a lead the Golden Lions never threatened. Arkansas shot efficiently in the half, with 10 assists on 14 made baskets, though it struggled at the free throw line, going just 15-of-23.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions vs. Arkansas Razorbacks | Full Game Highlights | ESPN CBB

Wilkinson paced the first half with 14 points, hitting 3-of-5 from 3-point range, while he, Jordan Smith Jr. and Maper Maker each grabbed four rebounds. Williamson led UAPB with 10 first-half points, keeping the visitors within 19 at halftime, 47-28.

Maker’s +51 and the Second-Half Avalanche

The second half told a different story. After UAPB matched Arkansas for the first four minutes, the Razorbacks unleashed a 21-3 run that pushed the lead to 78-42 with 10:41 remaining. During that stretch Arkansas threw down five dunks and two layups, and 10 of the team’s 14 dunks on the night came in the second half. Arkansas also outscored UAPB 23-2 in fastbreak points after the break.

John Calipari recaps Arkansas 106-61 win over UAPB

Freshman Maper Maker may have stolen the headlines despite taking just one shot — an alley-oop dunk. He was 4-of-4 at the free throw line for six points, but his real impact came in 22:33 minutes: a game-high eight rebounds, two blocked shots and a staggering +51 plus-minus. Wilkinson led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and Smith Jr. added 20 points on 7-of-11 from the field. The pair combined for eight of Arkansas’ 11 steals, five by Wilkinson and three by Smith. Arkansas dominated the glass 43-27, the fastbreak 45-6 and points off turnovers 32-12. Jalen Tatum led UAPB with 16 points.

Records, Debuts and a Road Trip to Washington

Arkansas improved to 85-19 all-time in season openers and 94-10 in home openers, winning 53 of its last 56 season openers. Calipari is now 3-0 in both home and season openers at Arkansas, 28-7 in season openers overall and 32-3 in home openers overall, with 24 straight home-opener wins. He is also 52-1 when his collegiate team scores at least 100 points.

Arkansas guard meleek thomas shoots a free throw against jackson state during an ncaa college basketball game friday nov in f

Smith Jr.’s 20 points made him just the eighth Razorback — and the third freshman — to record at least 20 points and four rebounds in a debut since 1977-78, joining Meleek Thomas and Patrick Beverley. Arkansas started Smith Jr., Wilkinson, Billy Richmond III, Miikka Muurinen and Cooper Bowser, and won the opening tip.

Next up is a road test: Arkansas travels to Washington, D.C., to face No. 9/10 Virginia in the Capital Showcase at Capital One Arena, with tipoff set for 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) on ESPN.