Mychal Hall

Razorback Fan / UX Engineer

[Ben Brandon @BenBrandonHoops]

\ \ EXPECTATIONS / /

There’s been a lot of talk on the timeline about expectations the last week or so. From our own and from other fanbases.

When Arkansas clinched its’ 5th Sweet 16 in 6 years, I had someone ask me if that was the standard. I wasn’t sure how to answer that. For one, things like that are above my pay grade to decide for the fanbase, but it did get me to thinking.

Given the fluidity of college basketball, our NIL, our coach, our league, our brand, and our home recruiting base, what are reasonable and fair expectations?

Here’s what I came up with and how I will view things every year going forward. It is viewed through 2 lenses:

LENS 1: THE SINGLE SEASON (August-March)

Every team has its’ own identity. Their own strengths and weaknesses. We all make our preseason predictions on paper based on the incoming players and the retention. We then quickly learn who they really are.

We see those strengths and weaknesses. We learn their ceiling. We learn their floor. Next, we see the rest of the country and we see our league.

As fans what should we do at that point? We set actual expectations for that team. You want your coach and players to maximize their potential and then anything above that is truly icing on the cake.

Looking at the 2025-26 team, I felt in the preseason that a 2nd weekend NCAAT trip was likely the ceiling. I felt finishing in the top 3 in the SEC should be the expectation. Compete for a regular season title and hopefully set yourself up for a chance at the SECT title.

Lastly, Selection Sunday came and went and gave the Hogs a nightmare matchup in the 2nd weekend. So the expectation and ask repeated itself from the preseason, “win 2 and see what happens.” A different draw may have left us asking for more. Draw a different 1 seed or earning the opportunity to play a 2 seed before a 1 may have changed our expectations. Yet, those things didn’t happen.

Through this lens, the 2025-26 Arkansas Razorbacks met every expectation I had for them. A really good basketball team that performed to their potential. They severely lacked usable depth, they severely lacked defensive ability/scheme, and the frontcourt additions didn’t deliver on their evaluation or pay.

LENS 2: THE BIG PICTURE(March-July)

Given the brand/NIL/coach/league/fan support, the expectations are high here. Very high.

With that said, the frontcourt that Arkansas assembled in 2025-26 was simply unacceptable. Yes, #23 may have had a nagging back injury that caused him to play at literally 50% of his production at every other stop. Yes, the other frontcourt addition that averaged almost 8 rebounds a game in another P5 league being a wet paper sack defensively and on the boards was crippling.

Therefore, we know those 2 were not the Plan A. They didn’t play ball for Plan A and settled and it drastically lowered the ceiling and floor of the team. If the goals are lofty then settling isn’t the answer. Not after what we saw this year.

In summary, I am very happy with this season individually. It was a lot of fun and the team truly maximized their ability and roster construction.

However, I am not happy that with our resources, the frontcourt additions were what they were and the defense was what it was.

As I said last night, we’ve seen a lot of really good teams recently. It’s time for an elite one.

It’s officially portal season!

What are your thoughts on these expectation lenses? Fair? Foul?

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

If a team as good as Arizona is ALSO gonna have the refs hooking them up with calls, they are literally unbeatable.

[NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessMBB]

RT if your team is in the Sweet 16 🔁

Regionals are set - lock in your tickets 🔒 #MarchMadness

👉 https://t.co/vwwja3MUka

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

@JacksonCollier

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

@LittleRockBSB Y'all played some serious baseball this last weekend and showed the Tigers that the Trojans came to play!

Rest now, because the run back to the tournament starts soon and I expect to see y'all there.

[Creekside Community Church @CCC_hotsprings]

🌟 Join us tomorrow at Creekside for Pantry Day! We'll have groceries for those in need and small Christmas gifts for young children from 3-6pm! Let's make sure no child is hungry on Christmas Day. Spread the word! 🎁

[Creekside Community Church @CCC_hotsprings]

Join us tomorrow at Creekside Community Church for Pantry Day from 3-6pm! 🥫 If you or someone you know needs food assistance, we're here to help. Spread the word and let's uplift our neighbors together! 💖 #BetterTogether #CreeksideCares

[Johnny @j00ny369T]

The dude did his homework.

[Creekside Community Church @CCC_hotsprings]

We're excited for Pantry Day at Creekside Community Church! 🥫 If you or someone you know needs food assistance, stop by from 3-6pm!

Spread the word and let's uplift our neighbors together! 💖

#BetterTogether #CommunitySupport #CreeksideCares

[Creekside Community Church @CCC_hotsprings]

Join us tomorrow at Creekside Community Church from 3-6pm for Pantry Day! Let's unite to fight hunger in our community. 💖

Spread the word, bring a neighbor, and help us make a difference!
#BetterTogether #CommunitySupport #CreeksideCares

[Arkansas Baseball @RazorbackBSB]

Kevin Kopps days until Opening Day

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

@fqArkansas 6-6. Gotta think we'll drop Florida or Mizzou.

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

@BlueHogReport Right?!

[Arkansas Baseball @RazorbackBSB]

RT if you're ready for the Fall Classic!

➡️ https://t.co/iW3waaFCNS

[Marquee Sports Network @WatchMarquee]

An impressive week at the plate for Christian Franklin!

#RoadToWrigley x @Prevagen

[Arkansas Baseball Player Development @HogsPlayerDev]

The August #ProHogs Player of the Month: @KevinKopps 👀

» Promoted to AAA-@epchihuahuas on Aug 15
» 14 IP • 1.29 ERA • 15 K • .187 Opp Avg. (AA/AAA)
» 2.98 Career ERA w/ 159 K in 132.2 MiLB innings

CC: @Padres

[Mychal Hall @hallmychal]

@TrekRanks Same traffic.

[NCAA Baseball @NCAABaseball]

Clark Gilmore with ANOTHER behind-the-back catch 🤯

#NCAABaseball x 🎥 ESPN+ / @BigGreenBasebal

[MW4Liberty @MW4Liberty]

When I was 21 years old I left college to work and support my newborn daughter. Finding childcare was a challenge. Businesses that provide these services should not be burdened by taxes, but rather be incentivized to prosper. Read more at:

https://t.co/fyz1UUIu9l

[MW4Liberty @MW4Liberty]

Better idea. How about we never allow government to be so large as to shut down small business, choose winners vs losers, and engage in the largest redistribution of wealth in the history of humankind? 🤔 #Libertarian #VoteGold #NeverAgain #ARPX