The Arkansas Razorbacks (16-7, 5-5 SEC) will look to get a Quadrant 1 road win Tuesday in a highly-anticipated matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 7-3) inside Rupp Arena.
Following a hard-fought road win at South Carolina on Saturday, the Razorbacks enter the matchup riding a four-game conference winning streak. The Wildcats are 6-1 over their last seven, with the one loss coming to Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
"Four SEC wins in a row," Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV said. "We’re on a hot streak. Hopefully we’ll move up another spot in the standings, and Kentucky’s a good team. They started off the season slow. People were having their own comments about them, but they’re still a good team with a really good coach. So, I know they’re going to be ready to play, and we’ve got to be ready to play as well."
Kentucky boasts a very talented lineup and it all starts with a familiar face: Oscar Tshiebwe, who was the unanimous National Player of the Year in college basketball last season. The big man is averaging a double-double with 15.9 points and an SEC-leading 13.6 rebounds per game.
"The biggest thing is he plays volleyball with offensive rebounds," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said. "He's so quick off his feet. He draws fouls around the rim. All those things.
"Defensively, he's got good anticipation. He's a high, high steal player for his position. He blocks shots at the defensive end. He's just tenacious. You know, he's relentless on the glass. And so you've got to match that energy."
The Wildcats boast the SEC's No. 3 scoring offense, averaging 75.2 points per game. Their 3-point percentage of 36.8% is the best in the conference.
Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves is scoring 13 points per contest off the bench and he's shooting an impressive 41.3% from behind the arc.
"He's a really good transition 3-ball shooter," Musselman said. "He and (CJ) Fredrick both stretch the defense out because of their ability to score the basketball. He can get really hot. Streaky shooter, a guy that was a focal point offensively at his prior university and a go-to guy prior to coming to Kentucky. Now he's kind of evolved into a guy that they need points from as well."
Arkansas sits at No. 29 in the NET rankings and Kentucky is No. 31, so the winner of Tuesday night's contest will get a much-needed metrics boost with the second half of SEC play in full swing.
Here are details on how to watch/listen, notes, projected lineups, stats, odds and more for Tuesday's game between Arkansas and Kentucky:
Notes
~ Arkansas and Kentucky have met on 46 previous occasions, all but four coming since Arkansas joined the SEC (1991-92). Kentucky owns a 33-13 advantage in the series, including a 29-13 mark in SEC games, Kentucky also leads in games played in Lexington, 15-4, including a 13-4 mark in SEC meetings.
~ Arkansas won the last two meetings. Two years ago, Davonte Davis stole the last inbounds pass to seal an 81-80 victory in Rupp Arena. Last year, Arkansas won 75-73 in Bud Walton Arena thanks to 30 points from JD Notae.
~ This is the first of two meetings between the programs this season as the schools close the regular season in Bud Walton Arena on CBS. This is just the second time since Arkansas joined the SEC that the Razorbacks and Wildcats will face each other twice in the regular season. The only other time came in 2013-14 when Arkansas swept Kentucky with a pair of overtime victories. First, Arkansas beat No. 13 Kentucky in Fayetteville (Jan. 14, 2014). Then, the Razorbacks handed the 17th-ranked Wildcats a 71-67 setback in Rupp Arena (Feb. 27, 2014).
~ Davis has scored in double figures a career-best eight-straight games. During that span, he has come alive from 3-point range. In his first 81 career games, Davis was 29-of-126 (.230) from 3-point range and averaged 8.3 points per game. Over his last 8 games, Devo has made 20-of-45 (.444) from 3-point range and is averaging 16.6 points per game.
• Eric Musselman is one win away from 200 for his collegiate career (8th year). He won 553 games in 14 seasons as a professional coach (regular season and playoffs).
How to Watch/Listen
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (16-7, 5-5 SEC) at Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 7-3 SEC)
When: Tuesday – Feb. 7 – 9 pm (ET)/8 pm (CT)
Where: Lexington, Ky. – Rupp Arena (20,500)
Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Marty Smith)
Stream/Online: Watch ESPN
Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Gameday Info and How to Listen Online/Mobile: Razorback Gameday App
Projected Lineups
Arkansas
#0 - G Anthony Black - Fr., 6'7", 198 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 34.4 min, 12.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.0 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 44.7 fg%, 31.7 3fg%
#1 - G Ricky Council IV - Jr., 6'6", 205 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 35.3 min, 17.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.4 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 45.8 fg%, 27.0 3fg%
#4 - G Davonte Davis - Jr., 6'4", 185 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 33.1 min, 11.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.1 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 41.1 fg%, 32.1 3fg%
#15 - F Makhi Mitchell - Sr., 6'9", 230 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 20.1 min, 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 1.4 blocks, 64.2 fg%, 100.0 3fg%
#22 - F Makhel Mitchell - Sr., 6'10", 240 lbs.
2022-23 Stats per game: 12.5 min, 4.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 turnovers, 1.5 blocks, 63.6 fg%
South Carolina
#2 - G Sahvir Wheeler - Sr., 5'9", 180 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 28.5 min, 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.9 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 41.7 fg%, 36.6 3fg%
#1 - G CJ Fredrick - R-Sr., 6'3", 175 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 24.4 min, 7.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 turnovers, 37.8 fg%, 34.0 3fg%
#24 - F Chris Livingston - So., 6'6", 220 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 17.0 min, 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.8 turnovers, 0.3 blocks, 44.0 fg%, 34.4 3fg%
#0 - F Jacob Topin - Sr., 6'9", 205 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 29.4 min, 11.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.2 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 45.4 fg%, 22.6 3fg%
#34 - F Oscar Tshiewbwe - Sr., 6'9”, 260 lbs.
2022 Stats per game: 33.0 min, 15.9 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 turnovers, 0.9 blocks, 55.5 fg%
Vegas odds:
Vegas: Kentucky is a -4.5-point favorite (BetSaracen)
ESPN: Kentucky has 64.9% chance to win
Headlines
Scouting Report: Analyzing the Arkansas Razorbacks vs Kentucky Wildcats
Hogs need to keep up 'road rage' at Kentucky
WATCH: Musselman, Council, Graham react to 65-63 win at South Carolina
Takeaways, notes, stats from Arkansas' 65-63 win over South Carolina
(some information courtesy of Arkansas and Kentucky Communications)
