Arkansas Razorbacks Basketball To Host Arizona Transfer Oumar Ballo

One day after landing its first transfer commitment in forward Zvonimir Ivisic, head coach John Calipari and the Arkansas basketball team has already lined up another big man visit for the near future.

Arizona transfer center Oumar Ballo is expected to make a visit to Fayetteville, HawgBeat has confirmed. A visit date has not yet been specified. Ballo is coming off a trip to the Indiana Hoosiers, who are seen as the primary threat in his recruitment.

A native of Koulikoro, Mali, the 7-foot, 260-pound transfer averaged 12.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in his thrid season with the Wildcats. He shot 65.8% from the field and 49.5% from the charity stripe.

During the 2023-24 season, the redshirt senior racked up 31 double-digit games including 13 straight to start his campaign. His season-high came against Cal, when he shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the field for 22 points.

Ballo has been named to the First-Team All Pac-12 squad twice and the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team among other honors throughout his career. He originally started at Gonzaga during the 2020-21 season. In the NCAA Tournament, Ballo averaged 11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game against Long Beach State, Dayton and Clemson, respectively.

According to KenPom, Ballo finished the season with a 119.7 offensive rating, a 65.8% effective field goal percentage, a 62.5 true shooting percentage, a 15.2 offensive rebounding rate, a 26.9 defensive rebounding rate and a 5.0 block percentage. Ballo is also the highest rated transfer in the portal according to Evan Miya.

As things currently stand, the Razorbacks sit with one scholarship player on their roster. Be sure to follow along at HawgBeat’s premium message board — The Trough — for updates on Arkansas’ offseason roster movement.