The selection show is Sunday, March 15. Here's a first look at Arkansas' seed position for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
November and December aren't worth spending any time on for bracketology. January we can debate, but there's so much college basketball left to be played that it just doesn't seem worth the effort or the speculation. Mid-February, on the other hand, is definitely not too early for bracketology. The season is rapidly going by, and there are only two and a half weeks left in the month of February. March is just around the corner. The SEC Tournament is four weeks away. Selection Sunday is a month away, on March 15. Yes, it's definitely time for bracketology, so let's see where ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Arkansas basketball placed.
Lunardi has Arkansas as a 6 seed in the Midwest Region. The Hogs are placed in the Philadelphia pod for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The 3 seed in Arkansas' pod is Michigan State, which would mean a rematch of a regular-season game. It would be terrible to have a regular-season rematch in the NCAA Tournament, but on the other hand, Arkansas nearly won a road game against the Spartans. A rematch on a neutral court might play into the Hogs' hands if that scenario unfolds in March.
Lunardi's bracket came out before Arkansas drilled LSU by 29 points on the road Tuesday night, so maybe the Razorbacks could move up to a 5 seed.
Being realistic yet also aspirational, here's what Arkansas is playing for the next few weeks: A 3 seed might be too much to ask for, but a 4 seed is absolutely in play for this team. We can also make the point that if a 4 seed is reachable for this team, a 3 seed isn't completely off the table, it's just very unlikely. If Arkansas got on a very big roll, however, maybe that 3 seed -- the ideal goal -- is still in play. At the very least, though, a 4 seed would give this team a good chance of making the Sweet 16. If a No. 1 seed loses in the second round, Arkansas could have the right bracket path to get to the Elite Eight and compete for a spot in the Final Four.
Let's also make this point: While a 6 seed does present a tougher path in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, it does carry the advantage of avoiding a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16. This is not to say that Arkansas shouldn't try to push for a 4 seed and even a 3 seed, but it's meant to establish the point that if UA falls short of a 4 seed, being in the 6 spot would not be the worst thing in the world.
What would be the worst thing in the world? Falling to a 7 or 8 seed. That's really what Arkansas has to make sure to avoid in the coming weeks.