College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

FAYETTEVILLE — The first of three revenge games this month awaits Arkansas in Columbia, Mo., this weekend.

The Razorbacks will get a second crack at No. 10 Missouri, which handed them their first loss of the season back on Jan. 2, when they head north for a critical SEC showdown Saturday afternoon.

Riding a five-game winning streak, Arkansas is in a three-way tie for second in the conference with just a half-game lead over the Tigers, which are coming off a 21-point blowout loss at Ole Miss.

“Last time we played them, they were coming off a loss and this time it’s the same thing, so we have to understand what you’re walking into,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “We’ve played good basketball of late, but every game is different.”

It is a Quadrant 1 opportunity for the Razorbacks, as Missouri is No. 34 in the latest NET rankings. They currently have just one such victory and only a handful of chances left to add to that total.

Needless to say, Arkansas is looking to have a better showing than it had in its 81-68 loss to the Tigers last month. As a team, the Razorbacks shot just 26.8 percent (19 of 71), including 7 of 28 (25 percent) from three-point range and 3 of 23 (13.0 percent) on layups.

That is the worst offensive performance by a Missouri opponent this season and nowhere close to the 56.9 percent that Ole Miss shot in its 80-59 win over the Tigers on Wednesday.

“You’ve got to make shots against Missouri,” Musselman said. “The offensive side of the ball is just as important as the defensive side of the ball. (Wednesday) night, Ole Miss made shots and we’re going to have to make some shots to open up the floor a little bit for us.”

However, it’s worth mentioning that Arkansas was without one of its starters in its first matchup with Missouri. Justin Smith had ankle surgery the day before that game and watched the Razorbacks’ clunker of performance from the sideline.

He ended up missing four games - only one of which was a victory for Arkansas - before making a surprisingly quick return to the court against Alabama, a blowout loss in which he played just 18 minutes.

“That’s kind of what fueled my rehab and made me really want to get back so quickly,” Smith said. “I couldn’t just sit there and watch the Missouri game and then LSU and even Tennessee. It was tough. I wanted to be out there with my teammates and I really wanted to help us win.”

Without the graduate transfer from Indiana, Musselman was forced to adjust his starting lineup and rotations. The Razorbacks started four guards and had only one big man on the court for all but 1.5 minutes.

Moses Moody, a 6-foot-6 guard, was asked to play the 4 and notched his first (and only) double-double of the season, but the team as a whole was out-rebounded 51-36. With Smith available, Moody can slide down to the 3, his natural position, and Musselman believes that the rebounding margin won’t be as large this time around.

“We had to play small ball because of Justin not being available and I thought for that stretch there, we were really discombobulated for sure as far as roles, rotations,” Musselman said. “We weren’t a very good rebounding team without him. I think our team is certainly different than it was against Missouri the last time.”

Since his return, Musselman has also spoken highly of Smith’s ability to guard the other team’s best front court player. He is also versatile enough to allow the Razorbacks to throw several different things at opponents and keep them off balance.

That would have been handy on Jan. 2, when Jeremiah Tilmon dominated Arkansas to the tune of 25 points on 9 of 13 shooting. He also drew seven fouls, leading to 7 of 10 shooting on free throws, and notched 11 rebounds to give him a double-double.

Through 17 games, Tilmon - one of the Tigers’ several senior contributors - is averaging 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.

“He got a lot of his buckets off of pick-and-roll lobs and in transition, beating the big down the floor,” Smith said. “I think, especially in our last couple games, our weak side help on those pick-and-rolls has been a point of emphasis that I think we've definitely gotten better in.”

Musselman also said the Razorbacks will have to worry about Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson, who lead Missouri with an identical 14.2 points per game, as well as Mark Smith (10.1 ppg).

Although the Tigers have made only 30.7 percent of their three-point attempts this season, Dru Smith is shooting a solid 39.7 percent from beyond the arc. Pinson and Mark Smith are threats from deep, too.

Arkansas will try to pick up its first road win over an AP top-10 team since 2006 when it tips off against Missouri at 3 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN2.