FAYETTEVILLE — "If you're good enough, you're old enough."
That's been the rallying cry Arkansas head coach John Calipari has used for his third team at UA; a squad comprised of eight freshmen and only one senior.
Arkansas' inexperience doesn't seem to be a huge reason to have doubts about the Hogs. Calipari, of course, is no stranger to quickly developing elite recruits into one-and-done collegiate players who go on to play in the NBA. Arkansas' recruiting class for this season was No. 1 in the nation, headlined by Jordan Smith Jr., JJ Andrews, Miikka Muurinen and Abdou Toure.
In the first of two exhibitions, the No. 12 Razorbacks will face a team that is the polar opposite in No. 15 Gonzaga.
Led by the 28th-year head coach Mark Few, the Bulldogs will be leaning on experience as they search for their first national championship in program history. While there are four freshmen on the roster, the 'Zags also have five players who will be participating in their fifth season of college basketball.
One of those fifth-year players is one Arkansas fans may recognize: former Florida guard Xaivian Lee, who averaged 11.6 points per game last season at Florida and scored 13 in the Gators' blowout victory over Arkansas on Feb. 28.
Dayton transfer Javon Bennett averaged 15.8 points per game last season, while Florida State transfer and former Clemson forward averaged a career-high 13.3 points per game for the Seminoles last season.
In Gonzaga's Navy and White game on Oct. 3, sophomore guard Davis Fogle stole the show, scoring 30 points on 11-15 shooting from the field and a 6-7 mark from beyond the arc. He averaged 8.6 points per game a season ago for the Bulldogs.
Of course, Saturday's exhibition is not a full-fledged game in the sense that it will not count towards records. Few and Calipari have given each other their respective inbounds plays and revealed that neither coach will be playing zone defense. How much anyone will truly be able to learn about either squad is a tough question, and the answer, in all likelihood, is not much.
Still, it's the first opportunity for both squads to play outside competition this fall. The Razorbacks were hardly challenged in their four games in the Bahamas this summer, and welcoming the No. 15 team in the country to what should be a rocking Bud Walton Arena is an excellent way to kick off the season.
Calipari said Tuesday that he wants the game to be a war, and he may very well get one.
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