Fresh off of a short Christmas break, the Arkansas Razorbacks (8-4) will wrap up non-conference play with an intriguing matchup against a proven UNC Wilmington (9-2) squad inside Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Saturday.
The Seahawks are not your usual non-conference foe, though they usually aren't with Eric Musselman coaching the Hogs. UNC Wilmington has just two losses — a 30-point home loss to Appalachian State and an 8-point loss on the road at East Carolina. On the flip side, it owns wins over Murray State, Marshall, Georgia Southern and most notably Kentucky.
"It's a team that is very, very dangerous," Musselman said Thursday. "It's a team that is very well coached. It's a team that understands their roles. And it's a team that has two stars surrounded by really good perimeter players, and it's a very, very old team. I mean, they've got some veterans on this team that have played at multiple schools and have played multiple years of college basketball."
Head coach Takayo Siddle is in his fourth season with UNC Wilmington, which is coming off a 24-10 season in 2022-23. The Seahawks rank top-25 nationally in scoring offense and 3-point percentage. Their 80-73 win at then-No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 2 is about as good as it gets.
"All you’ve got to do is look at Wilmington’s record and that lets you know how good they are," Musselman said. "We try to schedule teams that are really good. That’s the object of what we do. We don’t sit in the office in non-conference and say, ‘Hey, how many wins can we get? Let’s just schedule wins.’ You schedule people you think can challenge you. You schedule people that you think are going to have good [seasons].
"Them beating Kentucky, it’s not good for the SEC, but it’s good for our strength of schedule if they beat a Power 5 team. That’s good for us that Wilmington has had success. For us, we have to come ready to play."
Here's details on how to watch/listen, key players for UNC Wilmington and betting lines courtesy of BetSaracen:
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How to Watch/Listen
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (8-4, 0-0 SEC) vs UNC Wilmington Seahawks (9-2, 0-0 CAA)
When: Saturday, Dec. 30 – 4:00 p.m. CT
Where: Fayetteville, Ark. • Bud Walton Arena
TV/Stream: SEC Network
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM: 161 Sirius / 190 XM / 961 SXM App
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SPREAD/TOTALS:
Moneyline:
Arkansas: -450
UNC Wilmington: +350
Spread:
Arkansas: -9.5 (-110)
UNC Wilmington: +9.5 (-110)
Totals:
Total Points:
OVER 147.5 (-110)
UNDER 147.5 (-110)
Team Totals:
Arkansas OVER 78.5 (-115)
Arkansas UNDER 78.5 (-115)
UNC Wilmington OVER 69.5 (-105)
UNC Wilmington UNDER 69.5 (-125)
(Alternate lines, spreads and team totals are available on the BetSaracen mobile app.)
Double R Props
Davonte Davis OVER 5.5 points and OVER 2.5 assists: +190
El Ellis OVER 2.5 points and OVER 1.5 turnovers: +150
Joseph Pinion OVER 2.5 points and OVER 2.5 minutes played: +195
Makhi Mitchell OVER 4.5 points and OVER 0.5 blocks: +185
Jalen Graham OVER 5.5 points and OVER 0.5 blocks: +275
Jeremiah Davenport OVER 3.5 points and OVER 1.5 rebounds: +230
Keyon Menifield OVER 7.5 points and OVER 1.5 turnovers: +210
Tramon Mark OVER 17.5 points and OVER 11.5 field goal attempts: +275
Trevon Brazile OVER 8.5 points and OVER 6.5 rebounds: +210
Arkansas team OVER 11.5 assists and OVER 34.5 3-point field goal percentage: +300
Arkansas team OVER 12.5 turnovers and OVER 48.5 field goal percentage: +375
Chandler Lawson OVER 6.5 points and OVER 0.5 offensive rebounds: +350
Khalif Battle OVER 16.5 points and OVER 7.5 free throw attempts: +325
Layden Blocker OVER 2.5 points and OVER 2.5 assists: +325
(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: Jalen Graham OVER 5.5 points and OVER 0.5 blocks (+275)
This is the easiest pick of the choices above, as Graham has recorded three straight games of 6+ points and 1+ blocks.
In three games against Oklahoma (eight points), Lipscomb (11 points) and Abilene Christian (seven points), Graham shot a combined 11-13 from the field and showed off his paint prowess.
On top of that, he recorded exactly two blocks in each of those three matchups. UNC Wilmington isn't a slouch, but Graham is on a roll and is a definite take at these odds.
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