If you enjoy watching college basketball players prove themselves in front of NBA scouts and team officials, this week in Chicago is worth your time.
Arkansas fans have four very good reasons to pay close attention.
The 2026 NBA Draft Combine kicks off this week at Wintrust Arena and the Marriott Marquis in Chicago and the Razorbacks are sending one of the strongest delegations of any program in the country.
Darius Acuff Jr., Meleek Thomas, Billy Richmond and Trevon Brazile have all received official invitations to take part in the week-long scouting event, giving Hog faithful plenty to watch before the June draft.
Arkansas is tied with Arizona and Houston for the most combine invites of any program this year — four apiece.
The 2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine tips off this week!
How to watch the action:
• Strength, Agility & Shooting Drills: Tuesday, 5/12 at 2pm/et on ESPN2
• Scrimmages, Day 1: Wednesday, 5/13 at 2pm/et on ESPN2
• Scrimmages, Day 2: Thursday, 5/14 at 2pm/et on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/b3SMP29UYY— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 9, 2026
That’s a meaningful number in a class that saw just 71 early entrants into the draft, the fewest since 2003.
Of the four Razorbacks headed to Chicago, three are early entrants who still have college eligibility remaining. The fourth, Brazile, has used up his eligibility.
The combine started Sunday, May 10 with players arriving for medical exams, body measurements and other testing.
As the week moves along, prospects will sit down with scouts, coaches and front office personnel for interviews while also meeting with the media.
The on-court workouts are where fans can tune in and watch it all happen live.
The final results from the NBA Draft Lottery 2026 🏀 https://t.co/oq7E55Kkm9
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) May 10, 2026
How to Watch Razorbacks at NBA Draft Combine
The NBA has released its official viewing schedule for Tuesday through Thursday and it’s straightforward.
On Tuesday, May 12, strength, agility and shooting drills air at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Wednesday, May 13 features the first day of scrimmages, also at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
Thursday, May 14 brings the second day of scrimmages at 1 p.m., this time on NBA TV.
That’s three consecutive days of live action for fans to watch these four former Hogs compete in front of the people who’ll decide where they end up on draft night.
It’s the kind of opportunity that doesn’t come around often for a program to have this many players on the same stage at the same time.
Darius Acuff Jr. — The Lottery Pick
Of the four, Acuff is the one drawing the most attention from draft analysts.
He announced his intentions to enter the draft during an appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today and made it clear he won’t be maintaining his college eligibility because at this point, he doesn’t need to.
He’s a consensus lottery pick according to every major mock draft and projection out there.
The numbers Acuff put up this past season were unlike anything any other player in the country produced.
He was the only player in the nation to average at least 20 points and six assists per game, finishing the year with 23.5 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44% from three-point range.
He also chipped in 6.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 35 minutes a night. Those aren’t numbers that need a lot of explaining to NBA decision-makers.
Meleek Thomas — Earning Way Back or Moving On
Thomas was the first of the Arkansas group to announce he was entering the draft process, doing so on April 13.
He made sure to note that he’s maintaining his college eligibility, which means he has a decision to make before the May 27 deadline at 10:59 p.m. CDT.
If the combine goes the way he hopes, he could be headed to the NBA. If not, the door is open for a return to Fayetteville.
As a freshman with the Hogs, Thomas made a strong impression.
He averaged 15.6 points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
His shooting numbers were sharp too — 43.5% from the field and 41.6% from three-point range.
The shooting guard showed he could create and knock down shots at the college level. Now it’s about doing it in front of the people who matter most for his future.
Billy Richmond — Second-Year Wing on Rise
Richmond followed Thomas into the draft process just one week before this story was published, also choosing to maintain his eligibility while he goes through the evaluation process.
Like Thomas, he has until May 27 at 10:59 p.m. to pull his name out and return to the Razorbacks for another season if that’s what makes sense.
What Richmond showed in his second year in Fayetteville was a clear step forward statistically. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 37 games.
His 56.3% shooting from the floor stood out, as did his 78.4% mark from the free throw line.
The wing’s efficiency numbers give evaluators something concrete to work with as they watch him move through the combine.
Trevon Brazile — The Veteran of Group
Brazile rounds out the Arkansas contingent as the one player of the four who’s done with his college career.
He’s exhausted his eligibility, which means Chicago isn’t a preview, it’s the real thing.
The combine represents his chance to lock in a spot on an NBA roster and there won’t be a safety net of returning to campus if things don’t go as planned.
Having four Razorbacks at the combine ties Arkansas with two other programs for the top spot nationally.
That’s a reflection of the talent that’s been in Fayetteville and a sign of what the program has developed.
Fans watching the on-court workouts this week on ESPN2 and NBA TV will be seeing the product of years of coaching and player development on display.
The combine’s first workouts hit the air Tuesday afternoon. Set a reminder, find ESPN2 and watch what these four do with their moment.
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