Arkansas basketball is rolling through its Bahamas trip.
The Razorbacks blew past Carleton University 98-58 on Saturday evening at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League and moved to 2-0 in exhibition play. Carleton came out strong early but couldn’t hang with the Hogs once the shots started falling.
Carleton grabbed a quick 5-2 lead to open the game but Arkansas answered with an 8-0 run of its own.
The Ravens stayed within reach until the 7:48 mark of the first half. From there the Razorbacks took over, closing the half on a 28-6 spurt to lead 52-27 at the break.
Jeremiah Wilkinson put on a shooting clinic for the Hogs.
He finished with 26 points on 7 of 12 shooting including 5 of 9 from three-point range. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished two assists and came away with a steal in just 25 minutes on the floor.
Jordan Smith Jr. had one of the best all-around games Arkansas fans have seen in a while.
Smith notched a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while turning the ball over just once all night.
Arkansas pushed its lead to 34 points early in the second half before Carleton chipped it back down to 23. That’s when Smith and JJ Andrews checked back in and sparked a 15-4 run that put the game away for good.
The Hogs cruised from there to a 40-point win.
Building chemistry down in Nassau
Saturday’s win came one day after Arkansas opened its four-game trip with a 106-59 win over the Bahamas national team, and it was Carleton’s first game of its own summer tour.
The Ravens are the reigning Canadian national champions.
There’s actually some history between the two programs. Arkansas and Carleton share a loose connection through former Ravens coach Dave Smart.
Under coach John Calipari’s very first season leading the Razorbacks, Arkansas beat Smart’s Pacific squad 91-72 on Nov. 18, 2024 at Bud Walton Arena.
This Bahamas trip is about more than just wins for Arkansas.
The roster includes eight freshmen and two transfers who are still learning Calipari’s system, so the coaching staff has used the games to build chemistry and find early rotations that work.
A few Razorbacks are working their way back or waiting their turn.
Five-star freshman forward Miikka Muurinen isn’t expected to play in Nassau since he’s still waiting on NCAA eligibility clearance, though he’s allowed to practice and travel with the team.
Isaiah Sealy is sidelined with a knee injury and Paolo Semedo dressed Friday but didn’t get in after sitting out Thursday’s open practice.
Wilkinson’s big shooting night carried extra weight given what happened a day earlier.
He was unintentionally undercut while going up for a dunk Friday against the Bahamas and hit his head on the way down, and he didn’t return to that game though he stayed with the team on the bench.
He bounced back to practice Saturday and was the first Razorback out on the court for warmups before tipoff against Carleton.
Arkansas still has two more exhibition games left on its Bahamas trip before heading back to Fayetteville to keep preparing for the 2026-27 season.
Key takeaways
- Jordan Smith Jr. recorded a triple-double with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while Jeremiah Wilkinson dropped 26 points on 5-of-9 three-point shooting in Arkansas’ 98-58 win over Carleton.
- Arkansas improved to 2-0 on its Bahamas exhibition trip after also beating the Bahamas national team 106-59 on Friday.
- Wilkinson returned from a scary head injury suffered Friday to lead all scorers Saturday, showing no lingering effects after practicing that morning.
