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Gameday Central: How to watch Arkansas-Austin Peay, keys to the game, more

Governors sophomore Antwuan Butler against South Carolina State.
Governors sophomore Antwuan Butler against South Carolina State. (Austin Peay Athletics | Robert Smith)

Join the live game thread on the Trough.

UPDATE (5:30 p.m.): Junior shooting guard Mason Jones is ready to play and going through warm-ups with the Razorbacks with tape on his right shooting shoulder.

The Razorbacks will defend their home court once again Tuesday night against the Austin Peay Governors who've yet to nab a win on the road this season.

The Governors are making a return trip to Bud Walton after falling to the Hogs 76-65 last season. They're sitting at 3-3 on the season and they've got a two-game winning streak going.

Austin Peay averages 82.5 points per game, which is good for No.21 in the nation in scoring offense. Arkansas's scoring defense still has the ranking edge however, holding teams to 51.4 points per game, which is third in the nation.

Despite Northern Kentucky making eight 3-pointers and shooting 33%, Arkansas still leads the NCAA in 3-point defense, holding opponents to 17.9 percent from deep.

Arkansas is off to a 7-0 start for the first time since 1997-98 when the Hogs won their first eight. The Hogs may have to go a second game without leading scorer Mason Jones, as he's a game-time decision with a shoulder injury.

Here's everything you need to know about the matchup with the 3-3 Governors:

Important Times:

Doors Open: 5 p.m.
Tip-off: 7 p.m.

TV/Radio:

Streaming: SEC Network+ (WatchESPN) (Brett Dolan and Kikko Haydar)
Radio: Learfield IMG College Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman) (Online 979)

From the Head Hog Eric Musselman:

"They have two really, really offensive efficient players. Especially Taylor, No. 21, ninth in the NCAA in points per game and 10th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds. Both Taylor and Adams are players that seem to draw fouls and get extra points on the foul line as well. So obviously defending Taylor is going to be a really important part defensively for our basketball team and keeping him off the glass and then our post defense as well.

"I don’t think, when you look at two teams a year apart, players grow, coaches change, tweak things. How they’re going to defend us is not how they defended us last year."

Austin Peay Players to Know:

21 G Terry Taylor: There aren't too many players in the nation averaging over 20 points per game but junior Governor Terry Taylor is one of them. He plays the most minutes every night and at 6-foot-5, he's the team's leading rebounder with 9.2 a game. His field goal percentage is about 55% and he's made enough 3-point shots to warrant extra attention on the perimeter as well.

5 G Jordyn Adams: Definitely not afraid to throw up an outside shot but Adams' money is made on the inside. He's averaging 15.5 points per game with a season-high 25 against Vanderbilt.

4 G Antwuan Butler: Butler is the orchestrator of the Austin Peay offense and he averages 4.8 assists per game with 8.2 points per game.

Keys to the Game:

- Relentless defense on No. 5 and No. 21: These are the go-to guys for the Governors, if Arkansas's defenders can shut one or both of them down it will go a long way.

- Keep them off the offensive glass: The Governors consistently get 10+ second-chance points so limiting offensive boards will be big for Arkansas. They're ranked No.18 in the nation in offensive boards, led by Terry Taylor.

- Push the ball in transition: The faster Arkansas can find a scoring opportunity the better against the Austin Peay defense. Out of 351 teams ranked, the Governors' scoring defense ranks 299th.

Latest Headlines:

- Razorbacks facing possible second game without leading scorer Mason Jones READ MORE
- Arkansas moves to 7-0 with 66-60 win over Northern Kentucky READ MORE

Vegas Line:

Arkansas -17.5 O/U 143.5

Key Rankings: Arkansas (previous ranking) | Austin Peay

AP Top 25: 17 votes (13 votes) | 0 votes
KenPom: 25 (23) | 215
Sagarin: 21 (20) | 212
ESPN BPI: 37 (36) | 174

Razorback Cumulative Season Stats

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