Arkansas falls to No. 9 Virginia despite 19-point outing from Jordan Smith Jr.
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Arkansas basketball lost its first game of the 2026-27 season on Sunday, dropping a one-sided affair to No. 9 Virginia and head coach Ryan Odom.
The Cavs played strong defense and moved the ball well in a 91-72 win. Every Virginia starter finished in double digits in a balanced scoring effort, with Thijs De Ridder and Sam Lewis each posting a game-high 16 points. Virginia’s Johann Grunloh was exceptional as well, totaling 15 points and 5 blocks.
It was a sloppy performance from the Razorbacks. Arkansas committed 15 turnovers and were slow out of the gate, entering halftime trailing 46-27. John Calipari’s squad performed better in the second half, tying the Cavaliers at 45-all across the final 20 minutes of action.
Jordan Smith Jr. was a bright spot. The star true freshman scored 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting and was excellent on the defensive end, collecting 4 steals and 1 block. While he was Arkansas’ leading scorer, he also led the Razorbacks in turnovers with 3.
Growing pains shouldn’t come as a surprise for this Arkansas team. The Razorbacks are older than John Calipari is used to, but the unit just hasn’t played much basketball together.
Next up, Arkansas is set to face off against Robert Morris on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network plus.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
