Billy Richmond Scores 17 as Arkansas defeats Memphis 93-81

Junior Billy Richmond scored 17 points and shot 7 for 7 from the floor to lead the 12th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks to a 93-81 victory over the Memphis Tigers in their final preseason exhibition game on Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

A Hometown Homecoming in Fayetteville

For Richmond, who grew up in Memphis before spending his junior and senior high school years in New Jersey, Wednesday night carried a unique personal backdrop. The junior put on a shooting clinic against his hometown team, adding two 3-pointers, three assists, two blocks, one rebound, and one steal in 25 minutes of action. Arkansas outscored Memphis by 27 points during the time Richmond was on the floor.

Billy Richmond 6-7 205 Junior 3rd year Memphis / Camden, NJ pic.twitter.com/tUtx1zJw6g
— https://x.com/CoachZ_ARKANSAS/status/2080405205284168035

Memphis coach Penny Hardaway offered high praise for the veteran after the final buzzer.

“Billy made it look easy,” Hardaway said. “He’s a veteran now [and] made it look really easy.”

Richmond fueled three distinct scoring runs that allowed the Razorbacks to pull away. He capped off a 7-0 run in the first half with a dunk off a lob pass from Jeremiah Wilkinson and a physical layup through contact, stretching Arkansas’s lead into double digits. Later in the half, he drained a 3-pointer during a 9-0 surge that sent the Razorbacks into the locker room with a comfortable 48-34 advantage.

Freshman Impact and Frontcourt Muscle

Arkansas freshman guard Jordan Smith matched Richmond’s team-high 17 points, bouncing back sharply after a tough outing against Gonzaga where he scored just one point on 0-for-9 shooting. Razorbacks coach John Calipari expressed satisfaction with the freshman’s turnaround.

“I was glad to see Jordan make baskets … and make free throws,” Calipari said. “He’s going to be fine.”

Down low, forward Miikka Muurinen turned in a gritty 10-point, 12-rebound performance. Muurinen energized the announced crowd of 10,586 by hustling for a contested tie ball in the second half, retaining possession before sinking a strong post move that pushed the score to 81-62.

Cooper Bowser also anchored the frontcourt with six points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and three assists over 23 minutes. As a team, Arkansas shot 53.7 percent from the field, hitting 38 of 67 shots.

Memphis Fights Back After the Break

Despite falling behind by as many as 21 points multiple times in the second half—the last coming on a Wilkinson layup with 6:38 remaining—Memphis refused to fold. The Tigers found an offensive rhythm after halftime, shooting 16 of 30 from the field and 11 of 16 on free throws in the final two periods.

Billy Richmond Scores 17 as Arkansas defeats Memphis 93-81 — Photo: nwaonline.com

Led by Nemanja Popovic and Luke Almodovar, who scored 16 points apiece for the Tigers, Memphis pieced together a 14-6 run to narrow the deficit to 75-62 following a jumper by Tylik Weeks with 9:15 left on the clock. The visitors ultimately claimed the second half 47-45.

“I think it’s a top five team, not a top 12 team,” Hardaway said of Arkansas. “I think that they’re young and that’s why they ranked them so low. But they’ve got size, athleticism, speed and they’re really good.”

Calipari acknowledged the resilience of his opponents. “Don’t take away from Memphis because they played well,” Calipari said. “They got down 20. They could have let go of the top and they didn’t. They just kept playing, so it was a good win for us.”

Looking Ahead to the Regular Season

The matchup marked the first time Arkansas has hosted Memphis at Bud Walton Arena since January 2, 2003, when Calipari served as head coach of the Tigers. With the preseason concluded at 2-0—following a 76-72 victory over 15th-ranked Gonzaga last Saturday—the Razorbacks now turn their attention to the official regular-season opener.