5 Things About The Arkansas Razorbacks

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, your University of Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 7-3 SEC) host the Arkansas Razorbacks (16-7, 5-5 SEC). By now, you know that both teams are on the NCAA Tournament bubble, making the stakes even higher tonight in Rupp Arena. The Razorbacks are No. 28 in the NET, four spots ahead of Kentucky (No. 32). This will be a Quad 1 game for both teams, who each only have one Quad 1 victory thus far.

You probably have memories of last season’s two-point loss to the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Thankfully, JD Notae and Jaylin Williams are off to the pros. What do you need to know about this Arkansas squad? Brandon Ramsey will have a detailed scouting report for you in just a bit, but here are some quick hitters to get your research rolling.

1. Two stars out since December

Arkansas was a preseason top-ten team in part because of Trevon Brazile and Nick Smith Jr. Brazile transferred to Arkansas from Missouri and was primed for a breakout season but tore his ACL in December. Smith Jr. was a five-star recruit that was off to an impressive start to his college career, winning SEC and CBS Sports National Freshman of the Week after standout performances vs. UNC Greensboro and Oklahoma. The next game out, vs. Bradley on Dec. 17, he left the game in the second half with a right knee issue and hasn’t played since. A projected top-ten draft pick, he’s not expected to play the rest of the season.

2. Bounced back from poor SEC start

Without Brazile or Smith Jr., Arkansas hit a wall when SEC play began, losing five of its first six conference games. Since then, they’ve found their footing, winning four of the last five (Ole Miss, LSU, Texas A&M, South Carolina), the only loss at No. 17 Baylor by three. In their first four SEC games, the Razorbacks shot just 19.4% (14-72) from three; since then, they’re shooting 35.8% (39-109) from the outside. Their defense has stepped up too, allowing only 59.4 points per game over the last five games.

Has Arkansas turned the corner? In the last two years, Eric Musselman’s teams are 13-1 in February…

3. Road Struggles

…Not so fast, my friend. Arkansas’ four-game SEC winning streak is commendable, but the Razorbacks almost suffered an embarrassing loss at South Carolina on Saturday. Arkansas was up by 13 at one point but allowed South Carolina to come back and take the lead with under two minutes left. The Razorbacks survived; however, it was only their first true road win of the season. Prior to Saturday, Arkansas was 0-5 on opponents’ home courts. A rowdy Rupp Arena would certainly help the Cats rattle the Hogs tonight.

4. Great backcourt

Three guards have stepped up to steady the Razorbacks in recent weeks. Junior Ricky Council IV is first on the team in scoring and second in the SEC with 17.0 points per game. Freshman Anthony Black, a projected top-ten draft pick, averages 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Davonte Davis, who stole the inbounds pass to seal Arkansas’ win over Kentucky in Rupp last season, is on fire as of late, averaging 16.6 points over the last eight games, including 44.4% (20-45) from three-point range.

When those three are playing well, Arkansas is tough to beat. The Razorbacks are 5-2 (including four straight wins coming into this week) during conference play when Council, Black, and Davis combine to shoot higher than 40 percent for the game, but a winless 0-3 when they dip below that figure. The trio is Nos. 1, 3, and 4 in the SEC when it comes to the percentage of minutes played during conference games. Whatever backcourt John Calipari decides to go with tonight will have its hands full.

5. Series History

Eric Musselman has injected new life into what was once the best rivalry in the SEC. Musselman is 2-1 vs. Kentucky since taking over at Arkansas in 2019. The Razorbacks have won the last two in the series, but the Cats still have a 33-13 edge, 15-4 in games played in Lexington. John Calipari is 13-8 vs. Arkansas in his career, 10-6 as Kentucky’s coach. Amazingly enough, this marks just the second time since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1991 that the Cats and the Razorbacks will play twice in the regular season. Neat.