FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari is still tinkering with the pieces he has on this roster and at some points of Wednesday night's 76-53 win over Robert Morris it looked a little off.

That's going to happen when a team has eight freshmen and three veterans who haven't found their chemistry on the floor. Calipari finally has a roster of players who can make the rotation interchangeable.

He has three different players who can run the point guard spot with a pair of true freshmen Jordan Smith Jr. and Davion Thompson along with junior wing Billy Richmond III. And although Richmond committed two of his three turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the first half, the game settled down a bit with the ball in his hands.

“I'm having to step into the void of what we're doing," Calipari said. "And part of what I did after (the loss to) Virginia, I told the team, ‘Billy's got to have his hands on the ball more.’ Which is, what did I do today? If you happen to be watching, I played him at point. You know why? Guarantees he's getting the ball. Guarantees he's having the ball. He's the point guard. That's why I did it."

Richmond had his best game of the season against the Colonials Wednesday night by scoring a team-high 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting to go along with four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. The Razorbacks were a plus-20 when the "GOAT" was on the floor.

One noticeable change versus RMU was the midgame positional variance with Smith being held to only three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field while playing more of an off-ball role. Despite his offensive struggles, Calipari was pleased with what he saw from the reigning Gatorade High School National Player of the Year along with what Thompson brings as a 1-or-2 guard.

“I wanted Jordan off the ball," Calipari said. "I thought he looked good off the ball. Good on the ball, good off the ball. He's going to be both for us. Davion can come in and run point. JJ [Andrews] can be a three or a four. There may be games it'll be a little harder for him. Well, then maybe I go Billy at two or Billy at one, JJ at three, and have a two guard and then have the four and a five. Do that. I can do that."

Thompson's ability to run point also gives Calipari more freedom with the players around him, but he proved during his preseason play that he is capable of scoring with the ball in his hands instead of just distributing.

Then, there are the interchangeable wings, including Andrews, who can play either forward position and has the capability to stretch the floor and drill shots from the perimeter.

Andrews backed up that versatility with 11 points and eight rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, in 21 minutes against Robert Morris. He shot 4-of-7 from the field, knocked down a 3-pointer and committed no turnovers.

For Richmond, he can be Calipari's chameleon of sorts because he can move between multiple roles depending on what certain matchups look like.

“But the guys, who decides who plays? They decide, not me," Calipari said. "And if you're not playing, then prove you should be playing more. Who proved it today? Billy's Billy. The other two proved it. Davion and JJ.”

Having options also creates competition for minutes, and Calipari has jokingly petitioned the NCAA to add a couple more minutes to regulation. Thompson’s 15 points, seven assists and zero turnovers against the Colonials strengthened his case, and Calipari identified Andrews as another player who strengthened his case for more minutes.

And Calipari alluded to the fact that he nearly started a lineup that included Jeremiah Wilkinson, Smith and Thompson. However, he opted to go with the one he's started throughout the early portion of the season.

Everything is up in the air for change, but that's the good thing about having depth.