FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas basketball is looking more and more like a John Calipari team, and Monday night’s 92-62 win over Oakland followed a theme that has dogged the head coach since he arrived at Kentucky in 2009.

A dominant performance from five-star rookies.

The Razorbacks (11-2) got 24 points from Boogie Fland, 17 from Karter Knox and eight from Billy Richmond III. Richmond also had four rebounds, four assists and didn’t miss any of his four floor shots.

Fland has been great all season, but the other two first-year players are coming into form and the most important part of the game plan is just around the corner. Arkansas opens SEC play Saturday at No. 1 Tennessee. Knox and Richmond are gaining confidence and the Hogs will need them in conference play.

“ Karter had an opportunity to play through some mistakes and do things. He needed her,” Calipari said. “He’s a freshman and he’s playing the way we expect him to. He wasn’t at the beginning of the year, he is now. Billy is too. They play the way we need them.”

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Knox stumbled out of the gate. He failed to score in two of the first three games, and a breakout 21-point performance against Maryland Eastern felt more like an anomaly as he scored a total of 14 points in the next four games.

But over the last three games, Knox has averaged 14 points and shot 56% from the field. He started the last two contests alongside Johnell Davis, who was sidelined with a wrist injury, and the team hasn’t taken a step back. He went 3-of-4 from 3-point range on Monday, stretched the floor, played strong on-ball defense and even got to the rim in the halfcourt.

According to his teammates, Knox’s growth comes from staying the course and having a simple mindset. Calipari instructed him to hit singles and not try to hit home runs.

“(Knox) ​​was just like a sponge, just soaking up everything in training. He just tries to get better every day and it shows on the court. He makes simple plays,” said Adou Thiero, who scored 20 points against Oakland.

Richmond earned playing time and trust earlier than Knox, and his versatile play gives Calipari an interesting option off the bench.

He can be a slasher from the wing and guard the opposing team’s point guard. It’s his hustle and bustle that appeals to Calipari the most. The head coach has consistently praised Richmond’s willingness to reach for loose balls and harass the defense.

While Richmond and Knox needed to find a rhythm, Fland was already strolling onto Fayetteville’s college campus as a smooth facilitator. He averages 15.9 points and 6.2 assists. No newcomer in America spends more cents per game.

And Fland is apparently not afraid of fighting. He started 0-for-6 against Oakland with just one point in the first half. He made his next seven shots and made all five of his three-pointers in the second period.

“I don’t try to force it. The three-ball is kind of like today’s game, so it started from the inside out,” Fland said. “Keep going the way the game is going and I’m not trying to force it because it won’t work.”

Now Fland is receiving support from his fellow students. Arkansas is on a six-game winning streak, and even though the Hogs are on the verge of one of the toughest conference schedules ever, optimism is brewing inside Bud Walton Arena.

This article originally appeared on the Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball rookie gives Hogs stunning win over Oakland