FAYETTEVILLE — The wait is nearly over.

Arkansas basketball will face a top-15 team inside Bud Walton Arena this weekend.

Year 3 under John Calipari unofficially begins on Saturday, Oct. 24. The No. 13 Razorbacks will host No. 12 Gonzaga in a preseason exhibition at 3 p.m. (SEC Network). A few days later, Arkansas and Memphis will tussle in the final tune-up before the season opener.

Here are three key questions for Arkansas entering the showdown with Gonzaga, beginning with last season's Achilles' heel.

How does Arkansas basketball handle Gonzaga's frontcourt?

Not many teams in America possess a big-man duo as formidable as Gonzaga's Braden Huff and Massamba Diop. Huff averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 66.2% last season. Diop posted 13.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while he was a freshman at Arizona State.

Neither player is an elite shooter, but defenses must respect both Bulldogs from 3-point range. They can do damage with their backs to the basket and are strong offensive rebounders.

Arkansas' big men were its biggest weakness last season. Against dominant frontcourts from Florida, Duke and Arizona, the Hogs were exposed. Calipari loaded up this offseason with six players who are 6-foot-10 or taller. Cooper Bowser and Miikka Muurinen are expected to start, with freshmen Caleb Ourigou and Maper Maker serving as the most likely options off the bench.

It would be a huge preseason boost if the Razorbacks can match Gonzaga's physicality in the paint.

Can Jordan Smith Jr. impose his will defensively?

If Arkansas is going to challenge for the SEC title and make a deep run in March Madness, Smith is going to need to be one of the best defensive players in the country.

Against Gonzaga, his primary defensive assignments will be Xavian Lee and Nathan De Sousa. Lee recently received an injunction against the NCAA and is currently eligible for the upcoming season. Lee averaged 11.6 points and 4.7 assists with Florida last year, while De Sousa is a 23-year-old import from France.

Can Smith be a disruptor and get the Bulldogs' offense out of rhythm? Expectations are high for the five-star recruit with a 6-9 wingspan, and with Smith at the top of the defense, Arkansas hopes to be a much sturdier unit than last year's team that struggled to contain opposing guards with Darius Acuff Jr.

One key stat to monitor will be the turnover department. The Bulldogs are historically elite at taking care of the basketball under Mark Few, but the Razorbacks are putting a premium on takeaways that lead to transition offense with this year's roster.

Are there enough 3-point threats for the Hogs?

Georgia transfer Jeremiah Wilkinson shot 35.7% last year and showed he is a capable shooter from behind-the-arc across his first two seasons of college basketball. The rest of the Arkansas roster is filled with unknowns in this department.

The coaching staff expects Muurinen to be a stretch-4, and backup point guard Davion Thompson is one of the best shooters on the roster. The wild cards are Smith, Abdou Toure and JJ Andrews.

Toure and Andrews were impressive during the four exhibitions in The Bahamas. However, the defense the Hogs faced that week was soft compared to what they'll see Saturday and throughout the regular season. Can they maintain their 3-point threats against better opposition?

And finally, there's Billy Richmond III, who would become one of the best scorers in the country if he developed a consistent jumper. This will be the first chance to assess his growth since the lefty shot 25.9% on 3s last year.