Analyzing Arkansas' 2021-22 non-conference basketball schedule

Arkansas announced its 13-game non-conference slate Monday morning. It features nine games inside Bud Walton Arena, three neutral-site games and one game in North Little Rock.

Click here to view a list of the games or continue reading for an in-depth game-by-game breakdown of the schedule...

2020-21 record: 18-11 (8-9)
KenPom: 131 | NET: 117
Conference: Southern | Finish: 7th
Coach: Greg Gary | Career Record: 51-70 (35-26 at Mercer)
Series: Arkansas leads 4-1
Current streak: Mercer W1 (69-66 victory at Simmons Bank Arena in 2015)
Key Players: Neftali Alvarez, Felipe Haase, James Glisson

Mercer is looking to take a step forward in the Southern Conference this season after taking a step back in Greg Gary’s second year at the helm. Despite winning one more total game than his debut season, the Bears won four fewer conference games and finished seventh - compared to fourth the year before.

Key players Neftali Alvarez (13.3 pts, 4.2 ast, 3.6 reb), Felipe Haase (11.9 pts, 7.6 ast), and James Glisson (7.6 pts, 4.0 reb) are back, but Mercer is also replacing four of its top seven scorers.

To address this, the Bears added two freshmen, a JUCO prospect and former Tennessee and Wake Forest wing Jalen Johnson.