Razorbacks Karter Knox and D.J. Wagner were voted to the preseason All-SEC third team, and Arkansas was predicted to finish fifth in the preseason poll as voted on by the SEC media, the league announced today.
Knox, a sophomore, returns after closing his rookie campaign as one of the most improved players over the course of last season. He was one of three Hogs to play all 36 games with 24 starts and averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds for the year. He was just the ninth player in program history to reach 300+ points, 100+ rebounds, 30+ assists, 20+ steals and 10+ blocks as a freshman. In the first 18 games, he averaged 16:39 minutes, 6.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 39.4% (39-99) from the field, 27.8% (15-of-34) from 3PT and 80% (20-of-25) at the line. Then over the final 18 games, Knox averaged 30.9 minutes, 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds while shooting 52.3% (57-109) from the field, 43.5% (20-of-46) from 3PT and 90.3% (53-66) at the line.
Wagner, a junior, emerged as the team leader in the second half of the season and led the Razorbacks on an impressive run that culminated in a Sweet 16 appearance. Wagner was the only Razorback to start all 36 games and he was just one of three Hogs to play all 36 games. He led the team with 131 total assists, led the team in assists 16 times and had at least three assists 26 times (including 13 times with 5-plus assists). Wagner ranked second in the SEC in minutes (34:32) as he played all 20 minutes of a half 10 times and 30-plus minutes 32 times. In fact, his 1,245 total minutes played ranks fifth-best in school history for a season. After Boogie Fland’s injury, Wagner took over full-time at point guard and led Arkansas to a Sweet 16 run. In those final 18 games, he averaged 34.9 min, 12.2 pts, 4.6 assists, 50-60 FT (83.3%).
Defending national champion Florida was picked to win the league, followed by Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas.
Arkansas will play two exhibitions prior to the season opener on Nov. 3 versus Southern. First, the Razorbacks will host Cincinnati on Oct. 24 (Friday) dubbed the CareSource Invitational – Fayetteville, Supporting Mental Health. Tickets are available at Razorback Ticket Center. Three days later (Oct. 27), Arkansas travels to Memphis to play in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic presented by Bad Boy Mowers, benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
First Team All-SEC
Alex Condon – Florida
Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State
Otega Oweh – Kentucky
Tahaad Pettiford – Auburn
Labaron Philon Jr. – Alabama
Second Team All-SEC
Nate Ament – Tennessee
Boogie Fland – Florida
Ja’Kobi Gillespie – Tennessee
Thomas Haugh – Florida
Mark Mitchell – Missouri
Third Team All-SEC
Malik Dia – Ole Miss
Aden Holloway – Alabama
Karter Knox – Arkansas
Jaland Lowe – Kentucky
D.J. Wagner – Arkansas
SEC Player of the Year
Otega Oweh – Kentucky
Predicted Order Of Finish
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
Alabama
Arkansas
Auburn
Missouri
Ole Miss
Texas
Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Georgia
LSU
South Carolina
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