The Arkansas Razorbacks (10-10, 1-6 SEC) will look to get back above .500 when they take on the Missouri Tigers (8-12, 0-7 SEC) on Wednesday evening inside Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Missouri.
Arkansas has lost by an average of 18.2 points per game in conference play. The only SEC win for the Razorbacks was a 78-77 win over Texas A&M on Jan. 16 thanks to a Tramon Mark go-ahead jumper just before the buzzer.
Following a hard-fought 63-57 loss to Kentucky on Saturday without Trevon Brazile or Devo Davis, the Razorbacks will look to build on a game of connectedness against a Missouri team that's winless in conference play.
"They're gonna be hungry for the game on Wednesday and our guys have to realize how hungry they will be," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said after Saturday's loss to Kentucky. "If you look at Missouri's games, a lot of close scores, like you look at the five-minute mark left in games of Missouri's SEC games. It's unbelievable how close they are and how hard they’ve played."
Missouri is coming off a 72-64 loss at South Carolina on Saturday and the Tigers have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Mizzou ranks 201st nationally in scoring offense and 230th in scoring defense this season.
On the flip side, Arkansas is struggling to find an identity on offense and the Hogs rank 296th nationally in scoring defense as well. The defense looked improved by holding Kentucky — a team that entered the game No. 1 nationally in scoring offense — to just 63 points, but the offense didn't flow well without a true point guard.
"Tonight, I’ve got to go in that locker room and tell them we’ve got to get ready for Missouri," Musselman said Saturday. "And I can’t fault their effort. We’re not a good offensive team. All you’ve got to do is watch the game. We struggled at taking care of the ball, but because of effort and defense tonight, we were in the game. There have been a lot of games we haven’t had a lead at all.
"So I don’t fault the connectivity that the team had and I do not fault their effort one bit tonight. I thought they played as hard as they could play. I thought the first half, it was flawless how they executed on both sides of the ball."
Wednesday will mark the 61st meeting between Arkansas and Missouri all-time and it will be the first of two meetings this season. Since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012-13, the borders rivals have played 24 times.
Arkansas leads the all-time series, 33-27, and is 14-9 against the Tigers since Mizzou joined the SEC. The Razorbacks have won six of the last eight, but Missouri does hold a 17-12 advantage all-time when playing in Columbia, including a 7-4 mark in SEC games.
Here's details on how to watch/listen, betting lines courtesy of BetSaracen and HawgBeat's pick:
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How to Watch/Listen
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (10-10, 1-6 SEC) at Missouri Tigers (8-12, 0-7 SEC)
When: Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 pm CT
Where: Columbia, Missouri • Mizzou Arena – Norm Stewart Court (15,061)
TV/Stream: SEC Network/Watch ESPN (Mike Morgan and Mark Wise)
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM: 391 Sirius / 391 XM / 981 SXM App
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SPREAD/TOTALS:
Moneyline:
Arkansas: +210
Missouri: -240
Spread:
Arkansas: +5.5 (-105)
Missouri: -5.5 (-115)
Totals:
Total Points:
OVER 144.5 (--115)
UNDER 144.5 (-105)
Team Totals:
Missouri OVER 74.5 (-125)
Missouri UNDER 74.5 (-105)
Arkansas OVER 69.5 (-115)
Arkansas UNDER 69.5 (-115)
(Alternate lines, spreads and team totals are available on the BetSaracen mobile app.)
Player Props
Tramon Mark OVER 16.5 points (-110), UNDER 16.5 points (-120)
Khalif Battle OVER 11.5 points (+105), UNDER 11.5 points (-140)
Tramon Mark OVER 1.5 threes made (+155), UNDER 1.5 threes made (-210)
Khalif Battle OVER 1.5 threes made (-160), UNDER 1.5 threes made (+120)
Tramon Mark OVER 2.5 assists (+140), UNDER 2.5 assists (-185)
Tramon Mark OVER 4.5 rebounds (-130), UNDER 4.5 rebounds (+100)
(Lines and odds are subject to change at any point after the publishing of this story. HawgBeat does not guarantee any bet as a winner or loser. You must be at least 21 years of age to use BetSaracen. If you have a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net)
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HAWGBEAT'S PICK: Under 144.5 total points (-105)
Rooting for the under is not always the most fun play, but it seems to be a solid choice for this game. This under total has hit for both Arkansas and Missouri in each of their respective last two games.
Arkansas' scoring offense ranks 160th nationally, while Missouri's checks in at 201st nationally. Neither team shoots better than 45% from the field or 33% from three, and the Hogs' win over Texas A&M on Jan. 16 is the only SEC win between the Razorbacks and Tigers.
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Headlines
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