FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball showed promise against Gonzaga.

John Calipari wants to see progress against Memphis.

The Razorbacks host the Tigers in the second and final fall exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 28. It will mark the second consecutive preseason Calipari has coached against his former employer. Arkansas went on the road and rolled to a 24-point victory in 2025.

This time, Memphis is coming to Fayetteville, and Calipari has a team still searching for its identity on offense. It was clear right from the start of last season that the Hogs would run through Darius Acuff Jr.

Here are three key questions for the Razorbacks when they play Memphis, beginning with Acuff's replacement.

Can Jordan Smith Jr. bounce back offensively?

It was a nightmare debut for Smith inside Bud Walton Arena against Gonzaga. The 5-star recruit scored one point, went 0 for 9 from the field and 0 for 2 from 3-point range.

Smith was able to fill the box score in other categories, chipping in four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Despite his scoring struggles, the Hogs were plus-1 with him on the floor.

The season hasn't even started and Calipari isn't panicking, but Arkansas needs Smith to be a consistent scorer and a capable point guard this winter.

There should be a bigger focus from the Washington native on scoring in transition. There were opportunities for Smith to attack the basket that he passed up. Getting to the free-throw line would be another way to get his offense going.

What shooting stats tell the real story?

Arkansas was woeful from the field (36.9%) and at the free-throw line (56.7%) against Gonzaga. But from 3-point range, Arkansas went 11 for 24 (45.8%). Billy Richmond III, Davion Thompson, Abdou Toure and JJ Andrews all made multiple attempts from long-range.

Richmond was unusually inefficient from inside-the-arc, and Smith's shooting struggles have already been mentioned. As a team, Arkansas only scored 22 points in the paint, meaning there weren't enough layups to generate easy looks and more made field goals.

If Arkansas shoots close to 40% from 3-point range across the entire season, 2-point struggles might not matter. But it's unlikely these numbers remain so contrasting moving forward.

Will offensive rebounds carry over?

Arkansas only scored 11 second-chance points, but the Hogs were able to gobble up 16 offensive rebounds. They created plenty of extra opportunities, even if the scoring woes mean the Razorbacks failed to maximize those chances.

Andrews was a difference-maker with five offensive rebounds. Calipari called out his effort on the glass in the postgame press conference and revealed Andrews' rebounding will earn him added minutes this season.

Will the offensive glass be an X-factor for Arkansas this year? That would be a change of pace from Calipari's first two teams in Fayetteville. The Hogs could flex their muscles in the second exhibition against a Memphis team that has one player taller than 6-foot-9 and let Mississippi State grab 13 offensive rebounds in an exhibition on Friday, Oct. 23.

However, the defensive glass must improve for Arkansas. Gonzaga topped Arkansas 52-47 overall and 19-16 on offensive rebounding.