From Mike Cawood
FAYETTEVILLE – A trio of Razorbacks – Karter Knox, D.J. Wagner and Darius Acuff Jr. – were voted to the preseason All-SEC third team as voted on by the league’s coaches, the conference announced today.
Knox and Wagner were also selected to the preseason All-SEC third team by the league’s media.
Knox, a Julius Erving Award candidate, is listed as one of the top 10 sophomores in the country by Andy Katz. He was one of three Hogs to play all 36 games last season and had 24 starts. Know is the ninth player in program history to reach 300+ points, 100+ rebounds, 30+ assists, 20+ steals and 10+ blocks as a freshman. He averaged 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds for the season but averaged 10.8 points over the last 18 games, helping Arkansas reach the Sweet 16.
Wagner was the only Razorback to start all 36 games last season. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.6 assists for the year, but played a key role in the Razorbacks’ Sweet 16 run by averaging 12.2 points and 4.6 assists. Wagner led the team with 131 total assists, dishing out at least three assists 26 times and scoring in double figures 22 times.
Acuff continues to add to his early-season resume. He is listed on the Bob Cousy Award watch list, was named one of the top 10 freshmen in the country by Andy Katz and ESPN’s Myron Medcalf picked Acuff as the “Athlete with outside shot to win (National) Player of the Year.”
Arkansas officially kicks off the 2025-26 campaign on Monday (Nov. 3) by hosting defending SWAC champion Southern. Tipoff is set for 6 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
COACHES’ PRESEASON ALL-SEC
First Team
Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
Alex Condon, Florida
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
Second Team
Boogie Fland, Florida
Malik Dia, Ole Miss
Mark Mitchell, Missouri
Nate Ament, Tennessee
Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee
Third Team
Aden Holloway, Alabama
Darius Acuff Jr, Arkansas
Karter Knox, Arkansas
D.J. Wagner, Arkansas
Thomas Haugh, Florida
Preseason Player of the Year
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
