Arkansas (16-7, 5-5 SEC) and the Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 7-3) will meet Tuesday inside Rupp Arena for a battle between two teams that are looking to get off the bubble and back into the national conversation.
Kentucky is 6-1 over its last seven and the Razorbacks are 4-1 over their last five games. Both teams are separated by two spots in the NET rankings, as Arkansas checks in at No. 29 and the Wildcats are No. 31.
"We’re on a hot streak," Arkansas guard Ricky Council IV said. "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."
Being ready to play against the Wildcats begins with game planning for Oscar Tshiebwe, who was the unanimous National Player of the Year in college basketball last season. He hasn't let up this year, as he's 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."
Battling a guy like Tshiebwe seems to come at the worst time for Arkansas, who has allowed 32 combined offensive rebounds to Texas A&M and South Carolina. The 20 offensive boards by the Aggies was the second most by an opponent in a single game during the Musselman era.
The Wildcats also boast another great forward in Jacob Toppin, who is a talented scorer at 6-foot-9. Illinois State transfer Antonio Reeves provides a spark off the bench, averaging 13 points per game, and he will be a tough task to guard.
"You've got to ID him as he crosses half court," Musselman said. "He's a really good transition 3-ball shooter. 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."
The bottom line is, both teams will be fired up to play in a game with big postseason implications. With Kentucky having the home court advantage, the Razorbacks will need to match the Wildcats' energy and then some.
"Four in a row, that’ll boost anybody, any team," forward Jalen Graham said. "But we’ve got to stay humble and realize playing in Rupp Arena, it's a big deal. Not a lot of people win there, so we’ve got to play team basketball and come out with a dub."
Here's a closer look into Kentucky's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineups and more ahead of Tuesday's game, which is set to tipoff at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN:
