The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4) will have had a week of rest since a 79-70 loss to Oklahoma in Tulsa when they hit the hardwood Saturday to take on the Lipscomb Bisons (7-5) at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
Head coach Eric Musselman's Razorbacks have struggled out of the gate and they are 3-4 in their last seven games. Musselman said Wednesday that his team started the week with two good practices.
"They’ve been very competitive," Musselman said. "More live stuff than we’ve done since I’ve been at Arkansas. Guarding the ball full court one-on-one. Guarding the ball on the wing 45-degree angle one-on-one. We have not done any of our breakdown drills. We have done no station work.
"I mentioned it the other night on the radio show, that we have added our opportunity break and our open offense to try to get the ball to move from side to side and get more people involved. And then the last piece of all this, which won’t won’t be decided until probably Saturday, is what the rotation looks like and who starts and all those things."
Whether or not the Razorbacks will be at full health is still up in the air. Redshirt sophomore forward Trevon Brazile is still dealing with an ankle sprain that he suffered on Dec. 4 against Furman, and Musselman said Brazile didn't practice Monday or Tuesday.
"He’s been with the trainer," Musselman said Wednesday. "We’ll see how he is later today when we’re about to practice. I would anticipate him jumping in and doing some stuff today. Probably, well not probably, won’t do anything live. So if most of our practice is live, that means he won’t involved in much."
The Hogs did get some good news heading into the matchup with the Bison, though, as guard Keyon Menifield was granted an eligibility waiver from the NCAA and is immediately elgible beginning Saturday.
“It has been a long process that we had to work through, but we are excited for Keyon and are proud of how he handled the process,” said head coach Eric Musselman. “Our staff and administration have worked hard to get this done and we appreciate their hard work. Keyon is an explosive point guard with great play-making ability.”
It'll be a sold-out crowd at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, which the NET rankings considers a home arena for Arkansas.
"I think it’s a great game for us," Musselman said. "The only thing that I wish is I wish that it was a neutral site game because it is three and a half hours away. It’s not a neutral site game.
"It is counted as a home game for us, which obviously we’ve got the home crowd and all that, but there are some other programs that have games similar to this that are counted as neutral site games and not home games. So, we’ve got to defend our home. It’s a home game with the NCAA, so we’ve got to go play well in a home game."
Arkansas is 13-10 all-time at Simmons Bank Arena. According to HogStats, the Razorbacks have shot 44.3% from the field, 32.3% from three and 66.2% from the free throw line all-time at Simmons Bank Arena.
The Razorbacks are 2-0 all-time against Lipscomb with the last meeting resulting in an 86-50 win over the Bisons on Dec. 5, 2020, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Here's details on how to watch/listen, key players for Lipscomb and betting lines courtesy of BetSaracen:
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How to Watch/Listen
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4, 0-0 SEC) vs Lipscomb Bisons (7-5, 0-0 ASUN)
When: Saturday, Dec. 16 – 5:00 p.m. CT
Where: North Little Rock, Ark. • Simmons Bank Arena (18,000)
TV/Stream: SEC Network Plus/Watch ESPN (Brett Dolan and Kikko Haydar)
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM: 161 Sirius / 190 XM / 961 SXM App
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Lipscomb projected starters
#2 - G Will Pruitt - Jr., 6'3", 195 lbs.
Stats per game: 29.8 min, 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.9 turnovers, 0.0 blocks, 48.0 fg%, 28.0 3fg%
#22 - G Joe Anderson - Jr., 6'0", 175 lbs.
Stats per game: 26.0 min, 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 0.3 blocks, 46.4 fg%, 36.4 3fg%
#0 - G A.J. McGinnis - Jr., 6'4", 177 lbs.
Stats per game: 28.1 min, 12.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 46.6 fg%, 40.0 3fg%
#5 - G Cody Head - Fr., 6' 3”, 170 lbs.
Stats per game: 13.8 min, 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 56.5 fg%, 41.2 3fg%
#11 - C Owen McCormack - Sr., 6'9", 230 lbs.
Stats per game: 20.8 min, 8.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.9 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 46.2 fg%, 34.9 3fg%
Arkansas projected starters
#3 - G El Ellis - Grad. Sr., 6'3", 180 lbs.
Stats per game: 22.0 min, 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 39.3 fg%, 23.8 3fg%
#4 - G Davonte Davis - Sr., 6'4", 185 lbs.
Stats per game: 32.2 min, 7.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.2 turnovers, 35.2 fg%, 24.1 3fg%
#12 - G Tramon Mark - Jr., 6'6", 185 lbs.
Stats per game: 29.1 min, 17.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 0.4 blocks, 55.1 fg%, 37.0 3fg%
#2 - F Trevon Brazile* - R-So., 6' 10”, 220 lbs.
Stats per game: 30.8 min, 11.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 1.9 blocks, 50.8 fg%, 46.7 3fg%
#15 - F Makhi Mitchell - Sr., 6'10", 240 lbs.
Stats per game: 13.9 min, 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, 1.1 turnovers, 0.9 blocks, 68.8 fg%
* - Brazile is dealing with the sprained ankle, but he is a starter if healthy.
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SPREAD/TOTALS:
Moneyline:
Arkansas: -700
Lipscomb: +475
Spread:
Arkansas: -11.5 (-115)
Lipscomb: +11.5 (-105)
Totals:
Total Points:
OVER 153.5 (-110)
UNDER `53.5 (-110)
Team Totals:
Arkansas OVER 82.5 (-120)
Arkansas UNDER 82.5 (-110)
Lipscomb OVER 70.5 (-125)
Lipscomb UNDER 70.5 (-105)
(Alternate lines, spreads and team totals are available on the BetSaracen mobile app.)
Double R Props
El Ellis OVER 5.5 points and UNDER 1.5 turnovers: +110
Jalen Graham OVER 7.5 points and OVER 4.5 total rebounds: +160
Joseph Pinion OVER 3.5 points and OVER 0.5 steals: +160
Tramon Mark OVER 14.5 points and OVER 3.5 FTs made: +145
Trevon Brazile OVER 9.5 points and OVER 7.5 total rebounds: +175
Arkansas OVER 46.5 FG percentage and OVER 12.5 assists: +250
Arkansas UNDER 12.5 turnovers and OVER 34.5 3PT percentage: +250
Davonte Davis OVER 7.5 points and OVER 2.5 assists: +220
Khalif Battle OVER 15.5 points and OVER 0.5 offensive rebounds: +210
Layden Blocker OVER 8.5 points and OVER 1.5 steals: +260
Chandler Lawson OVER 4.5 points and OVER 2.5 blocks: +300
Jeremiah Davenport OVER 5.5 points and OVER 0.5 blocks: +300
Makhi Mitchell OVER 6.5 points and OVER 1.5 blocks: +300
(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: Arkansas OVER 46.5 FG% and OVER 12.5 assists (+250)
This one kind of feels like a steal, and here's why. Through 10 games, Arkansas has had over a 46.5 FG% eight times. That includes games against Memphis, North Carolina and Duke. The lone exceptions were in losses to UNC Greensboro and Oklahoma.
Assists are a little bit tricker, as the Hogs have hit the 13 mark only four times up to this point. However, they combined for 38 assists against Duke and Furman before getting just eight against the Sooners.
With Menifeld back in the fold — likely the closest thing the Razorbacks have to a true point guard — the ball should be moving around more with fewer turnovers. With a week to prepare, I expect Arkansas to look sharper in this one.
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