First Look: Five things to know about Georgia
The Big Red Recruiting Board, 2018
Hogs extend several more 2019 offers
Arkansas withstands late barrage to beat Ole Miss, 97-93
Free throw struggles costing Hogs
The Razorbacks took care of business at home against Ole Miss and will now look ahead to a road showdown with Georgia. The Bulldogs (12-6, 3-4 SEC) are coming off a tough loss to Auburn where they were outscored by 28 points in the second half. In order for Arkansas to win their first true road game of the season, the Hogs must be aware of these five key areas:
1) Georgia only scores 69.9 points per game but holds their opponents to 65.8.
The Bulldogs would love nothing more than to man Arkansas up, clog the driving lanes and make it as ugly of a game as possible. While the Razorbacks score 85.1 points per game, the most points Georgia has scored in conference play is 71. Such a contrast in style will make it necessary for Arkansas to establish the tempo early. If not, they may be forced to grind it out, playing right into Georgia’s hands.
2) Georgia shoots 32 percent from the 3-point line and gives up 6.8 threes per game to opponents.
Daniel Gafford is a strong presence down low, but the Razorbacks still love to take shots from distance. The Hogs make eight threes per game while shooting at a 39.8 percent clip. The Bulldogs have made 46 fewer threes than Arkansas. If the Hogs can get hot from deep, they could cause some problems for Georgia.
3) Georgia crashes the glass, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 6.4 boards per game.
Big bodies like Yante Maten and Derek Ogbeide allow the Dawgs to snatch 40.2 rebounds per game while surrendering just 33.8. Arkansas, on the other hand, has struggled a bit on the glass and tends to lose the rebounding battle. If the Razorbacks don’t box out and put on an emphasis on rebounding, Georgia will have plenty of second-chance opportunities and will limit Arkansas to one shot consistently.
4) Senior forward Yante Maten averages 19.6 points and 9.1 rebounds.
Georgia’s most dangerous weapon is co-SEC Preseason Player of the Year nominee Yante Maten. The 6-8, 240-pound big man does it all for the Bulldogs. Maten leads Georgia in points, rebounds and blocks. He also shoots the second-highest percentage from the free-throw line (84.7 percent) and hits 35.4 percent of this threes. Arkansas has to find a way to slow down Maten if they want any shot at a road victory.
5) Georgia is 8-1 at home (2-1 in conference home games) this season.
Stegeman Coliseum is typically a challenging venue for visitors. In his tenure at Arkansas, Mike Anderson is 1-3 at Georgia with two overtime losses, the last road victory coming in the 2014-15 season. The Razorbacks are winless so far this year in true road games (0-4). Will this be the moment Arkansas finally strings together an impressive road performance?
Following the victory over Ole Miss, Arkansas is now just one game back of fourth place in the SEC, so a road win in Athens would mean a great deal. The Hogs and the Dawgs will battle it out on Tuesday, January 23 at 5:30 pm (CST) on SEC Network.