Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 6-3-26
Beefing about email subscriptions, yesterday’s cookies and more while talking NBA Finals and the Long Hog Summer.
Guests: Richard Davenport
SEC, Big Ten pump brakes on college sports bill that would share wealth
Nobody with even a casual interest in college athletics should be the least bit shocked by what happened Tuesday night.
The SEC and Big Ten dropped a joint statement saying they don’t back the Protect College Sports Act as it’s currently written.
The bill was put together by Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Maria Cantwell of Washington, two lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle who’ve been trying to bring some order to a college sports world that’s been spinning out of control.
The Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference had already thrown their support behind the legislation before the ink was barely dry.
The two biggest conferences in the country? They took a pass. Surprise, surprise.
Joint statement on the Protect College Sports Act: pic.twitter.com/0sRlWCSvGY
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) June 2, 2026
Let’s not pretend the statement released less than 24 hours before a scheduled Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the bill was about protecting the integrity of college athletics.
The SEC and Big Ten said the bill “leaves critical issues unresolved,” pointing specifically to concerns that it doesn’t meaningfully replace the patchwork of state laws with a single federal standard.
That’s been considered a key requirement for getting conference support behind any legislation. Cruz argued back that the bill was drafted to do exactly that.
Two sides. Same bill. Very different conclusions.
Here’s what you need to know about why it really matters:
One of the bill’s central provisions would give conferences an option to pool their media rights, an idea the Big Ten and SEC have long argued wouldn’t produce the financial gains supporters claim it would.
The funny thing is, their joint statement didn’t even bring that up directly. They let that one ride without comment.
Make no mistake in this whole thing, that’s the center of this whole standoff.
Follow the money, not the legalese
The SEC’s deal with ESPN is worth roughly $3 billion. The Big Ten’s agreement with Fox, Paramount and NBC is valued at more than $8 billion over seven years, making it the largest media rights deal in college conference history.
Note the number wording starts with “b” and not “m.” Some of us are old enough to remember when top college football coaches were paid $50,000 a year at the biggest level and media rights were still just low five figure … if they could even get that.
The numbers now are not going to willingly be thrown into a shared pot so programs from the Big 12 and ACC can dip in for a bigger scoop.
Skyrocketing media rights payments have already made the financial gap between the SEC and Big Ten and everyone else enormous.
Why would those two conferences sign onto legislation that chips away at that advantage? They wouldn’t. They haven’t.
They probably won’t unless something in the bill changes dramatically in their favor. This is before we even start talking about more and more private equity taking an ownership stake and I’m not even sure how that works legally.
The Big 12 and ACC commissioners came out swinging in support of the legislation because they’re on the other side of that financial canyon. They’d benefit from revenue pooling.
The SEC and Big Ten would be writing checks they don’t want to write.
Both conferences did say they want to keep working with Cruz and Cantwell and other members of Congress to find improvements to the legislation. Translation of that is they’re not walking away from the table entirely, but they’re not sitting down until the menu changes.
Arkansas hasn’t said a word
Here’s where it gets interesting for fans in Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks haven’t made a peep about any of this. Not a tweet. Not a statement.
Not a whisper from the athletic department about where they stand on legislation that could reshape the financial future of every program in the sport. That silence isn’t an accident.
After the bill was introduced, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said bipartisan engagement in Washington on these issues was critical before eventually co-signing the joint statement opposing the bill as written.
When Sankey speaks, SEC athletic departments listen.
Arkansas isn’t going to get out in front of its conference commissioner on something this politically charged. The Hogs will wait to see which way the wind blows out of Sankey’s office.
The bill would also give the NCAA an antitrust exemption to enforce rules that have been challenged in court, including limits on transfers and athlete eligibility and a prohibition on schools poaching coaches mid-season.
Those are things every athletic department in the country deals with daily. You’d think a program like Arkansas would have something to say about that. Crickets.
The cash train keeps rolling
The Big Ten and SEC hold the biggest cards here — not just because they’re the wealthiest leagues but because they also carry major decision-making power over the College Football Playoff.
That’s leverage on top of leverage.
The ACC and Big 12 can support every piece of legislation that comes down the pike. Without the two power brokers on board, it doesn’t matter much.
The SEC and Big Ten have watched the college sports landscape shift dramatically in recent years and have come out of every seismic change in better financial shape than when it started.
Conference realignment? They benefited. The NIL era? Their recruits landed bigger deals. The transfer portal? Their rosters filled with the best available players.
The bill’s introduction also arrived before the Big Ten and SEC had signed on. The ACC and Big 12 had already written letters of support before the legislation was even formally released.
hat head start for the smaller conferences didn’t mean much once the two heavyweights pushed back.
Whatever happens next with the Protect College Sports Act — whether it passes, gets reworked or quietly dies in committee before Congress heads to summer recess in August — the SEC and Big Ten will adapt.
They always do. When the dust settles, they’ll figure out how to keep the cash train running right down the track.
The Hogs will be along for the ride.
Just don’t expect Arkansas to tell you which direction they’re headed until Sankey does first.
Razorbacks hold ground while SEC keeps stacking up in ESPN’s latest ranking
The ESPN way-too-early Top 25 rankings for 2026-27 have gone through three versions now, and Arkansas is still in the mix.
That says something. Coach John Calipari’s team hasn’t land a perfect offseason, but the Razorbacks are still sitting at No. 11 in Jeff Borzello’s version 3.0 rankings and that’s with a backcourt that just took a hit.
The NBA Draft withdrawal deadline didn’t go entirely Arkansas’s way.
The Hogs had mixed results at the deadline, getting back Billy Richmond III but losing potential first-round guard Meleek Thomas. That’s a real blow to Calipari’s perimeter depth heading into next season.
But it’s not a program-altering setback, and here’s why.
Despite the Thomas departure, the Razorbacks still have elite incoming freshman Jordan Smith and high-scoring Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson to lead the way on the perimeter.
Richmond could also be poised for a big step forward. A backcourt anchored by Smith and Wilkinson, with Richmond developing alongside them, is still a formidable group to build around in the SEC.
What Borzello said about Calipari’s program
The bigger story for Arkansas is its recruiting class.
Like most Calipari teams, the success of this group will be determined by the incoming No. 1 recruiting class.
Smith is the headliner, but he’s joined by five-stars JaShawn Andrews and Abdou Toure as well as international five-star Miikka Muurinen.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see three of them starting. That’s a loaded group of freshmen, and it gives Calipari exactly the kind of raw talent he’s always been best at developing quickly.
Borzello’s long-running take on Arkansas hasn’t shifted much.
Calipari is still leaning into freshmen and still producing some of the best one-and-done prospects in college basketball.
hat’s been the model since Calipari arrived in Fayetteville, and the results of that strategy are becoming clearer as the roster takes shape.
Smith isn’t just a prospect. He’s the best guard in the 2026 high school class in some rankings and a high-level competitor with two-way ability. That’s the kind of player who changes a program’s ceiling.
Cooper Bowser, who averaged 13.8 points per game at Furman, rounds out the backcourt depth. That’s useful experience on a roster that’ll lean young in key spots.
Wilkinson’s 17.4 points per game at Georgia also gives this group a proven scorer who’s already performed at a high level in SEC play.
Arkansas’s spot in a stacked SEC landscape
Here’s where things get interesting from a conference standpoint. The SEC is sending teams to the top of these rankings in force, and Arkansas is right in the thick of it.
Arkansas sits at No. 11 in ESPN’s updated rankings, with Alabama at No. 15 and Kentucky jumping in at No. 17 with the addition of Milan Momcilovic. Vanderbilt and Missouri also made the cut at No. 19 and No. 21.
Tennessee made a big climb too. The Vols moved all the way to No. 6 in the latest update after being unranked when the original rankings dropped following Michigan’s national championship.
That means a significant chunk of the top half of this ranking is straight out of the SEC. Florida holds the No. 1 spot in Borzello’s latest rankings, and that’s the team the rest of the conference is chasing right now.
Kentucky crashes the party
The most notable development since version 2.0 was Kentucky’s arrival in the Top 25.
The Wildcats weren’t anywhere in Borzello’s previous update, but that changed fast. Momcilovic’s commitment dramatically changes the Wildcats’ 2026-27 outlook, giving them the best shooter in the country and a legitimate focal point on offense.
Transfer guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are both dynamic off the dribble, and Momcilovic’s gravity and spacing will make them far more effective.
Malachi Moreno’s decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft was another massive boost — Moreno is a potential first-round pick at this time next season.
Before adding Momcilovic, Kentucky was left out of Borzello’s Top 25 altogether. Following the addition of ESPN’s No. 1 available transfer, the Wildcats jumped directly into the rankings at No. 17.
That’s a big swing in perception driven entirely by one commitment.
The road ahead for the Hogs
The Razorbacks aren’t done building.
Calipari’s track record shows his rosters keep evolving through late portal additions and reclassifications, so No. 11 isn’t necessarily the ceiling or the floor.
Calipari knows what type of player he needs to add for his team to advance past the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 and probably won’t sleep a whole lot until he signs at least one major contributor in the paint.
That’s the honest assessment. The perimeter looks promising. The frontcourt question still needs answering.
Calipari has built programs out of tougher situations than this, though, and the talent level coming to Fayetteville this fall gives Arkansas every reason to believe it can be a legitimate SEC contender.
ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 — 2026-27, Version 3.0
- Florida
- Duke
- Michigan
- Illinois
- UConn
- Tennessee
- St. John’s
- Michigan State
- Texas
- Arizona
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- USC
- Louisville
- Virginia
- Alabama
- Houston
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Miami
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Kansas
- Iowa State
- Purdue
- BYU
Arkansas women’s golf lands two WGCA All-America picks
The Women’s Golf Coaches Association had two Razorbacks on its All-America list this week, and neither one was a first-timer.
Maria Jose Marin and Reagan Zibilski both picked up national recognition Tuesday.
They’re now the 24th and 25th WGCA All-America selections in Arkansas women’s golf history.
Marin landed on the first team for the third year in a row. It wasn’t a surprise.
The junior from Cali, Colombia put together one of the best individual seasons in college golf this year, finishing inside the top 10 in 11 of her 12 tournaments.
That stretch included two runner-up finishes and a win at the Clemson Invitational in March.
She also closed out the NCAA Championship with a T5 result and two match play wins. By season’s end, Marin’s stroke average stood at 70.02, which led the whole Arkansas squad.
Marin’s record-breaking year goes well beyond the fairway
Her most talked-about moment came earlier this year when she won the 2026 Augusta National Women’s Amateur with a record score of 14-under par.
The field included 75 of the world’s top female amateur golfers. That win made her the first Razorback, first SEC golfer and first South American to take the title.
The ANWA victory came with some big perks. Marin earned spots in this week’s U.S. Women’s Open, the 2026 Evian Championship and the 2026 Women’s Open.
She’s also ranked No. 2 in the Scoreboard by Clippd national player rankings and spent a lot of the season at the top spot.
She led the country in individual head-to-head wins at a .958 mark and recently broke the program record for career rounds at or below par with 72.
The honors didn’t stop there. Marin’s 2026 season also included a First Team All-SEC placement, a finalist nod for the ANNIKA Award and a spot representing Team International at this summer’s Arnold Palmer Cup.
Zibilski ends Razorback career with another All-America nod
Zibilski grabbed honorable mention for the second straight year. The senior from Springfield, Mo. wrapped up a solid final season with seven top-10 finishes.
Her T8 at the NCAA Championship last week helped the Hogs reach their first semifinal in program history.
She finished the year ranked No. 31 nationally and No. 11 in the SEC in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings.
Her stroke average came in at 71.8, second-best on the team. She played every one of Arkansas’ 37 rounds and went 822-170-36 in head-to-head match play.
In April, she made the cut at Augusta National Women’s Amateur in her first try and finished 10th at 6-under.
Last month, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors and was named the Razorbacks’ female nominee for the SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award.
Zibilski won’t be in college golf much longer.
She’s set to turn professional on the Epson Tour later this month after earning status through the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway program.
Democrat-Gazette’s Tom Murphy with final review of Razorback baseball
After being eliminated in NCAA Regional, Tom analyzes what all went wrong with Hogs during season where inconsistency finally caught up with them.
Big Nasty gets last laugh as Spurs send OKC’s ex-Razorbacks home
There’s a certain irony baked into the NBA Western Conference Finals that Razorback fans won’t soon forget.
Fort Smith natives Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams, former Arkansas teammates and reigning NBA champions with Oklahoma City. just spent seven games trying to knock the San Antonio Spurs out of the playoffs.
Instead, the Spurs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals.
And riding on that bus to the championship round is Corliss Williamson, the man they call Big Nasty, doing it all as an assistant on San Antonio’s bench.
It’s an Arkansas story with a twist. Two Hogs chased a repeat title. Another Hog helped end their run.
Williamson’s path from Fayetteville to the Finals
Williamson doesn’t exactly need an introduction in Arkansas.
The Russellville native played for the Razorbacks from 1992 to 1995, won a national championship in 1994 and started on the team that returned to the title game the following year.
After a decorated college career, Williamson was taken in the first round by the Sacramento Kings and spent 11 seasons in the league.
His biggest on-court moment came in 2004 when he won a championship ring with the Detroit Pistons, giving him championship experience from both sides of the bench heading into this series.
The ex-Hogs on the other sideline
Joe and Williams aren’t just casual connections to Arkansas.
They grew up in Fort Smith, won state titles at Northside High School and each suited up for the Razorbacks before reuniting in Oklahoma City.
Joe played for Arkansas from 2018 to 2020, Williams from 2020 to 2022. They weren’t college teammates, but the Thunder brought them back together and they’ve been there ever since.
Last June, both were part of Oklahoma City’s first NBA championship in franchise history, beating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
This season, the defending champion Thunder finished 64-18 and again earned the top seed in the West.
They swept Phoenix in the first round and dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers in the second before running into San Antonio and dropping a seven-game series.
Now they’re watching the Finals from home while Williamson’s coaching staff preps for New York.
From player to sideline — the long road back
Williamson’s coaching career is a study in persistence.
After his playing days ended, he took an assistant position at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock and eventually became head coach there before taking over at Central Arkansas in 2010.
His NBA coaching career began in 2013 with the Kings, then continued under Frank Vogel in Orlando and Igor Kokoskov in Phoenix, each connection stemming from a former playing relationship.
After the Suns stint ended, he stepped away from the pro game and came home to coach Little Rock Christian while his son Creed was playing there.
“My main goal after I came back from Phoenix was to get both of my boys through high school, and then figure out what’s next,” Williamson told Best of Arkansas Sports in October 2022. “It’s hard to not go back, and over the last few years I’ve had plenty of opportunities to take jobs and go back, but I’m staying committed to finishing this process with my sons.”
One ring as a player, now chasing one as a coach
Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, Williamson takes his spot on the Spurs bench for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks.
He already knows what a championship feels like. Now he’s got a shot at another, this time wearing a headset instead of a jersey.
Joe and Williams know that feeling too, having earned their rings just 12 months ago. The difference is they’re done for the season.
Big Nasty’s still playing, but just a different way.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 6-2-26
Tye and Tommy talk about the upcoming series with Arkansas and Arizona is basketball, famous Bubbas and Tye’s crumbly cookies.
Guests: Tom Murphy!
