The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 0-0 SEC) are set to host the in-state opponent Little Rock Trojans (3-2, 0-0 OVC) inside Bud Walton Arena on Friday evening at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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The Razorbacks come into the matchup after a 91-72 win over the Pacific Tigers on Monday night. Little Rock's last game was a 71-57 win on the road at Tulsa on Wednesday night.
It will be the second time the two have met in the regular season, as the Hogs and Trojans last met on Dec. 4, 2021, a game Arkansas won 93-78. They also played in a preseason charity exhibition on Oct. 19, 2019, when Bud Walton Arena’s court was commemorated as "Nolan Richardson Court." Arkansas won that game 79-64.
The Razorbacks' three-point defense left a bit to be desired in their last matchup against Pacific, as the Hogs gave up 12 threes. Little Rock could prove to be a tougher challenge in that department, as the Trojans are shooting 41.1% from deep this season, but Arkansas associate head coach Chin Coleman said Thursday the team is switching up their defense to account for that.
"They can’t take 25 threes in our building, that’s not going to happen," Coleman said. "We’re going to try to defend against that and make that be maybe 13 and cut the number of makes down to about five. If we do that, that’ll play into our favor in terms of being a victory."
The two Little Rock players who are most involved in the three-point shooting game are guard Mwani Wilkinson and Johnathan Lawson. Wilkinson is shooting 50% from deep and Lawson is at 45.5% on the young season.
Still unknown is the status of center Jonas Aidoo and forward Trevon Brazile, who both missed Monday's game with injuries. Asked what their status was, Coleman said he didn't know. If they're not ready to go, however, Coleman said they have contingency plans.
"We prepared for all scenarios, as you saw last game," Coleman said. "We had to play small because we had to play Adou at the five some. But offensively, pretty much a lot of our parts are interchangeable and position-less. So we’re prepared for if we have to do something like that again on Friday."
Defensively, the Hogs have been strong in forcing turnovers, and they will likely need a similar performance to avoid any kind of upset opportunity. Arkansas averages 17.7 turnovers forced per game, and score an average of 18.7 points off those turnovers.
Perhaps the most important part of the Razorbacks' success this season has been the play of forward Adou Thiero. The third-year player is at or near the top of every major statistic, including points (18.5 per game), rebounds (5.8 per game), steals (2.3 per game) and field goal percentage (65.2%).
"I mean, he’s getting better, future lottery pick I want to say," Arkanss guard Boogie Fland said after Monday's game. "But we trust him, we love him and I’m glad he’s doing what he’s doing. It helps us better. I mean, the mindset you know coming into these games. Not worrying so much about the outside noise and just what we do as a team. I feel like that’s big for him and just taking what the defense gives him, not forcing it."
Below are details on how to watch, links to stream and links to all of our coverage leading up to the game...
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How to Watch/Listen
Who: No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Little Rock Trojans (3-2, 0-0 OVC)
When: Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. CT
Where: Bud Walton Arena — Fayetteville, Arkansas
TV/Stream: SEC Network/WatchESPN
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
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