How to Watch, Scouting Report: Arkansas hoops at Tennessee
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Arkansas concludes the regular season Saturday morning. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the matchup...
No. 14 Arkansas (24-6, 13-4) at No. 13 Tennessee (22-7, 13-4)
The Basics
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Tip off: 11 a.m. CT
How to Watch/Listen
TV: ESPN (link to watch online)
On the call: Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes
Radio: Razorback Sports Network (TuneIn / Razorback Gameday App)
Sirius/XM/internet: 137/190/961
Projections
-- Vegas spread: Tennessee, -6.5
-- O/U: 138.5
-- ESPN BPI: Tennessee has 83.4% chance to win, favored by 11.7
-- Bart Torvik: Tennessee has 70% chance to win, favored by 5.1 (proj. score: 71-66)
Scouting Report
~This is a rematch of a game played just two weeks ago at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won that matchup 58-48 in a defensive battle. Click here to read HawgBeat's key takeaways and view the full box score from the game.
~The winner of this game will likely be the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament next week, but could win a share of the regular-season title and earn the No. 1 seed with a little help from Auburn. Click here for a full breakdown of the Razorbacks' seeding possibilities.
~With Arkansas being tied for 14th and Tennessee checking in at No. 13 in the latest AP Poll, this will be the Razorbacks' first top-15 matchup since Feb. 25, 1998. On that day, No. 12 Arkansas was blown out by No. 13 Ole Miss 81-65 in Oxford, Miss.
~It is also yet another Quadrant 1 opportunity because Tennessee is No. 8 in the NET rankings through Thursday's games. Arkansas is at No. 22, so it's also a Q1 game for Tennessee.
~The Volunteers are one of the best defensive teams in the country. They have the third-best adjusted defensive efficiency rating on KenPom, plus rank 26th nationally in scoring defense at 63.0 points allowed per game.
~Freshman Kennedy Chandler and junior Santiago Vescovi are Tennessee's leading scorers, averaging 13.6 and 13.5 points, respectively. Vescovi is one of the best three-point shooters in the country, making 39.3 percent of his 7.4 attempts per game, but he went just 1 of 9 from deep against Arkansas last month.
~Taking care of the ball will be a major point of emphasis for the Razorbacks once again, as Tennessee is 17th nationally in turnovers forced per game (16.3) and eighth in steals per game (9.6). They did a good job of that the first go around, committing just 10 turnovers and limiting the Volunteers to only six steals.