Hogs land in preseason hoops AP Poll

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FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time in 14 years, Arkansas will enter the season as a ranked team.

Coming off an Elite Eight run, the Razorbacks are No. 16 in the 2021-22 preseason AP Poll released Monday afternoon

They were ranked as high as No. 8 in the country late last season and were No. 10 in the final AP Poll, which came out before the start of the NCAA Tournament.

Expectations are as high as they’ve been in decades at Arkansas, as it hasn’t been ranked this high in the preseason since 2000, when it was No. 15 entering the 2000-01 season.

Despite losing several key players from last year’s team, like Moses Moody, Justin Smith and Jalen Tate, the Razorbacks return the likes of Davonte Davis, Jaylin Williams and JD Notae, plus added one of the best transfer hauls in the country.

Arkansas is one of five SEC teams in the preseason AP Poll, with the others being Kentucky (No. 10), Alabama (No. 14), Tennessee (No. 18) and Auburn (No. 22). LSU and Mississippi State were in the receiving votes section.

After playing their annual Red-White game on Sunday, the Razorbacks will host a pair of exhibitions - Sunday against East Central and Oct. 30 against a yet-to-be-announced opponent - before opening the regular season Nov. 9 against Mercer.