Memphis, Tennessee: Tigers Close the Preseason With a 93-81 Exhibition Loss at No. 13 Arkansas

Memphis closed its preseason on Wednesday night with a 93-81 exhibition loss to No. 13 Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. It was the final exhibition for both teams, and the score does not count in the regular season standings.

Arkansas led 48-34 at halftime, pushed the lead to 65-44 with 15:24 left and led by as many as 21 points. The Razorbacks did not trail over the final 37 minutes and 5 seconds. Memphis cut into the lead late, after Arkansas rested its starters over the final 6:02, but never got the margin back to single digits in the second half.

Popovic shows what Memphis will miss

Nemanja Popovic led Memphis with 16 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes, with 12 of his points and all six rebounds in the first half. The 6-foot-9 center is set to miss the first six games of the regular season under an NCAA ruling that cited his previous international competition, after several seasons of professional basketball overseas. The Tigers have appealed the ruling. Unless the appeal succeeds in whole or in part, he will not return until November 27 at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

His absence will fall on Maxim Logue, Corneilous Williams and William Whorton. Against Arkansas he showed why that is a hard cover: he finished 4 of 5 from the field in the first half and made all four of his free throws.

Luke Almodovar also scored 16 points for Memphis, and Tylik Weeks added 12. Point guard Jayden Reid, who scored 26 points in the October 23 exhibition win over Mississippi State, was held to seven points and turned the ball over five times. "They put length on (Reid)," Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said. "They bothered him a lot, contesting all of his shots."

Arkansas balance and pressure

Billy Richmond III and Jordan Smith Jr. scored 17 points each for Arkansas. Richmond, a Memphis native whose father Billy Richmond Jr. led the Tigers to a win in their last appearance at Bud Walton Arena in 2003, was 7 for 7 from the field and 2 for 2 on 3-pointers. Smith was 7 for 11 after scoring one point against Gonzaga on Saturday. Miikka Muurinen added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Arkansas forced 15 turnovers and scored 26 points off them, with 23 fastbreak points. The Razorbacks shot 53.7 percent from the field and went 26 of 32 on layups and dunks, a sharp jump from their 5 of 16 mark on those shots against Gonzaga. Memphis shot 45.9 percent. Arkansas won its earlier exhibition against Gonzaga 76-72 and finished the preseason unbeaten.

What comes next

Memphis opens the regular season against No. 14 Iowa State on November 2 at 6 p.m. CT at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on FS1. Arkansas opens at home against UAPB on Tuesday, November 3 at Bud Walton Arena.

For Hardaway, the lesson of the night was on the ball. Reid will see the same length and pressure in the regular season, and the Tigers will need a second way to start their offense when teams crowd him.