Arkansas basketball will face the No. 1 team in the country for a second time this season on Wednesday night.
The Razorbacks (15-10, 4-8 SEC) will hit the road to face Auburn, with the Tigers (23-2, 11-1) coming off their best win of the season, going into enemy territory and beating Alabama 94-85 over the weekend. Even in this year’s historically-good SEC, Auburn has separated itself from the pack as the teams head into the final month of the season.
Arkansas couldn’t finish off an upset bid against Texas A&M Saturday, falling to the Aggies 69-61. Texas A&M closed the game on a 19-11 run after the Hogs tied the score at 50-50 late in the second half.
In its previous matchup against the No. 1 team in the country, Arkansas was blasted by Tennessee 76-52 to kickoff the SEC slate.
Here is a scouting report and prediction for the Hogs and Tigers on Wednesday night.
Johnell Davis must re-discover shooting stroke
It’s been a roller-coaster season for Davis, who is now in the midst of a cold stretch of offense after appearing to turn the corner in wins over Kentucky and Texas.
In the three game since beating the Longhorns, Davis is 2 for 12 from 3-point range and shooting 28.2% from the field. Against Texas A&M on Saturday, Davis was sloppy with the basketball, committing four turnovers.
As the roster stands, Davis must be an offensive weapon for Arkansas to win. He becomes even more important against the top team in the country that ranks No. 1 in KenPom’s Offensive Rating metric.
Was Calipari bluffing about the two-big lineup?
After the loss to Texas A&M, John Calipari said he might explore playing Zvonimir Ivisic and Jonas Aidoo together. Arkansas has been hesitant to unleash that lineup this year because it either removes a guard off the floor or forces Adou Thiero to the bench.
The Auburn game might be the perfect chance to test-run an Ivisic and Aidoo frontcourt. Arkansas is a heavy underdog, and a loss won’t really hurt the NCAA Tournament résumé. The Tigers also consistently play two bigs with Johni Broom and Dylan Cardwell as starters.
Whatever Calipari decides, Arkansas must create more open looks for Ivisic than it did on Saturday. The 7-foot-2 center didn’t make his first 3-pointer until there was 2:28 remaining on the clock.
Win the turnover battle
Arkansas doesn’t have a chance if it gives the Tigers’ explosive offense extra possessions. The Hogs have been pretty good in this department all season, but they committed 17 turnovers against Texas A&M and are 1-4 in the SEC when they cough up 10 or more giveaways.
Davis and D.J. Wagner need bounce-back performances. Wagner has 11 turnovers in his last four games.
Prediction
The Hogs will hope the Tigers are still celebrating their win over Alabama, because this is a bad matchup for Arkansas. Auburn has physicality on defense and an offense that punishes opponents from 3-point range and inside the paint. The Razorbacks need their own 3-pointers to fall like they did against Kentucky, and that still might not be enough. Auburn 82, Arkansas 68.
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Publish date : 2025-02-17 21:09:00
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