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Arkansas hits the road for an SEC test Tuesday night. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the matchup...
No. 18 Arkansas (21-6, 10-4) vs. Florida (17-10, 7-7)
The Basics
Location: O’Connell Center (Gainesville, Fla.)
Tip off: 6 p.m. CT
How to Watch/Listen
TV: ESPN2 (link to watch online)
On the call: Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes and Marty Smith
Radio: Razorback Sports Network (TuneIn / Razorback Gameday App)
Sirius/XM/internet: 134/192/963
Projections
-- Vegas spread: Arkansas, -1
-- O/U: 138
-- ESPN BPI: Florida has 58.5% chance to win, favored by 2.2
-- Bart Torvik: Florida has 51% chance to win, favored by 0.3 (proj. score: 69-68)
Scouting Report
~Arkansas has not beaten Florida in Gainesville since 1995, when Corliss Williamson scored 20 points in a 94-85 win. Since then, the Razorbacks have lost 14 straight games on the Gators' home court. The last three losses have been by double digits.
~Florida is one of five teams tied for fifth in the SEC standings at 7-7. It is 17-10 overall and coming off a big win over No. 2 Auburn. Arkansas is tied with Tennessee for third place at 10-4.
~That win helped the Gators climb back into the top 50 of the NET rankings. They're sitting at No. 49 through Sunday's games. Because they're in the top 70 and it's a road game, it is a Quadrant 1 opportunity for the Razorbacks. It is also a Q1 game for Florida because Arkansas is in the top 30, moving up to No. 23 after beating Tennessee.
~It will be a matchup of conflicting styles, as Arkansas is the second-fastest team in the SEC - ranking 17th nationally in KenPom's adjusted tempo - and Florida is the slowest playing team in the conference, ranking 288th nationally.
~Senior Colin Castleton is the Gators' leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points. The 6-foot-11 big man is nearly averaging a double-double, as he also grabs 9.1 rebounds per game - including 3.2 offensive boards. Those figures rank eighth, third and second in the SEC, respectively. He's also second in the conference in blocks per game, averaging 2.7.
~A name some fans might recognize is Tyree Appleby, as he is a senior guard from Jacksonville, Ark. He is second on the team with 10.7 points per game and is coming off a 26-point effort against Auburn in which he made 5 of 10 attempts from 3-point range. That is by far his best scoring performance in a Florida uniform.
~Neither team shoots the 3 particularly well, as Arkansas ranks 11th in the SEC at 31.0 percent and Florida ranks 13th at 30.5 percent.
~In SEC play, the Gators are last in the conference with a minus-4.9 average rebounding margin. They're next to last in defensive rebounding percentage at 62.9 percent, just barely ahead of Texas A&M, so the Razorbacks might be able to have some success on the offensive boards.
