Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball's next opponent, the Arkansas Razorbacks

South Carolina basketball finally ended its winless run through SEC play on Saturday. A convincing win over the Texas Longhorns mercifully ended a losing streak that dated back to December. The good vibes didn’t last too long, though. A trip to “the other Columbia” to take on Missouri put the Gamecocks back in the loss column with a 101-71 smackdown.

The loss moved USC to 11-17 overall and 1-14 in conference contests. Carolina will look to get back into the win column when Lamont Paris and company return home to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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Resume Check: Arkansas Razorbacks

Record: 17-11 (6-9 in SEC)
AP Ranking: N/A
Last Week: Win over Missouri 92-85 in Fayetteville, Win over Texas 86-81 in Fayetteville
Previous Meeting: South Carolina won 80-66 in 2023-2024 SEC Tournament in Nashville

This year’s Arkansas team has a new man leading the charge as John Calipari moved over from Kentucky this offseason. However, after major preseason expectations, the Razorbacks have been one of the most disappointing teams in the SEC as they’ve struggled to win consistently in the SEC through injuries and an almost entirely new roster. Even so, Arkansas is a talented team that has won consecutive games to play themselves back into NCAA Tournament conversations.

Ranked as high as 16th in the AP poll earlier this season, Arkansas has picked up ranked victories over Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri this year. However, the Razorbacks’ conference record sits at a disappointing 6-9.

Heading into this week’s tilt against the Gamecocks, Arkansas ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring. With injuries taking a couple of key players out this year, the Hogs have been inconsistent on that end. Defensively, things are a little better, primarily because of the team’s presence in the paint. At the time of this writing, Arkansas is sixth in the league in overall scoring defense.

“Big Z” Zvonimir Ivisic is second in the SEC in blocks this season. Fellow bigs Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile also sit inside the conference’s top 20. It should come as no surprise then that the Razorbacks are second-best in the SEC in the statistic. The Hogs swat nearly six shots per contest.

However, the team’s size inside hasn’t translated to rebounding success. Arkansas is 12th in the conference on the glass. A recent personnel hit could make matters worse, too.

One of the Hogs’ top players, forward Adou Thiero missed Arkansas’ contest against Texas with a knee injury. Calipari listed him as “out” on the SEC-mandated availability report, and there is no timeline for his return. Star guard Boogie Fland also is out for the year with a hand injury. The duo represented the Razorbacks’ top two scorers this season. Thiero also is the leading rebounder in Fayetteville at six boards per game.

Outside of Fland and Thiero, Arkansas’ next two leading scorers are Johnel Davis and DJ Wagner. The backcourt duo average just over 21 points per game combined but collectively shoot under 40% from the field. Thiero’s status for Saturday’s game could be extremely important for the Razorbacks’ offensive efforts.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Arkansas Razorbacks will take the floor at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network and stream on the ESPN app.

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