The Razorbacks were in trouble in terms of the matchup they faced. Now they aren't.
The Arkansas Razorbacks always figured to beat Hawaii in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, but they were in a tough spot against the Wisconsin Badgers if the two teams met in the second round.
Consider the details of a possible encounter with the Badgers: First, they beat Michigan once and nearly beat the Wolverines a second time. Second, UW spreads the floor and has two dynamic guards, Nick Boyd and John Blackwell, arguably the best two-man backcourt in the country, and certainly a backcourt combo which was firing on all cylinders heading into this tournament.
Wisconsin would not have had the best player on the court -- Darius Acuff -- in a head-to-head battle with Arkansas, but the Badgers would have had more options, more depth, and a very good chance of scoring in bunches against a less-than-great Razorback defense. With the teams having just one day off on Friday, Arkansas' six-man rotation -- Nick Pringle did not play against Hawaii -- posed an obvious risk and limitation against a deeper Wisconsin side. This matchup had a lot of negative elements.
Now the Razorbacks are free from that scenario. They get the 12th-seeded High Point Panthers instead.
If there's one commonality High Point has with Wisconsin, it's that the Panthers like to shoot the 3-point shot and hunt it at times. Arkansas was always going to have to defend the perimeter on Saturday, no matter which team it faced.
That's just about the only thing High Point and Wisconsin had in common.
The Badgers of the Big Ten had some size and length inside which could have bothered Arkansas on the glass. High Point does not have the same size or length and does not figure to be able to stand up to the Razorbacks within six to eight feet of the basket.
Given that Arkansas shot nearly 70 percent on 2-point shots against Hawaii, playing bully ball and being able to physically overwhelm a smaller, weaker opponent near the rim, the Razorbacks' line of attack against High Point should be similar. The Hogs attempted 21 3-pointers against Hawaii on Thursday and made only four of them. UA should not need to attempt triples against High Point. Darius Acuff, Trevon Brazile, Meleek Thomas, Malique Ewin, and the rest of the Razorbacks should be able to get close to the basket with the dribble drive and timely passes. They could play over the top at times to get the high-percentage looks they want.
Arkansas' bracket looked terrible going into Portland. Now the Hogs have a primrose path to the Sweet 16, and it's highly unlikely they will waste this golden opportunity in the Pacific Northwest.