Arkansas basketball prepares to take on Mizzou
The Hogs are looking to increase tournament odds as they come down the last stretch of the season.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After a close seven-point loss to #1 auburn, Arkansas looks to bounce back as they are set to host #15 Missouri for the second addition of the Battle Line Rivalry Saturday night.
This is the second match up of these two teams this season as the first one went in favor of the Tigers topping the Hogs 83-65. Missouri starting off hot outscoring Arkansas by 17 in the first half and never looked back taking the win back in January, but now the Hogs have a chance to get their revenge as the look to keep tournament hopes alive.
Missouri is near the top of the SEC this season at 9-4 in conference play, which is tied for 4th place with Texas A&M. However, are on a roll over their last three games winning each by double digits, including a game against #4 Alabama where they topped the Tide 110-98, their second most points this season, the first coming in November against Mississippi Valley State where they sore 111.
The offense is Missouri’s strong point as they average 83.7 point per game, 5th in the SEC however by a slim margin.
While guard Mark Michell leads the way for the Tigers in scoring with 13.6, Guards Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill are right behind at 13.4 a piece. Missouri is one of the most balanced teams in the nation in scoring as their bench is 4th in the country in points per game with 35.96. Grill is also one of the more deadly 3-point shooters in the country shooting 45.7% from behind the arc on 130 attempts.
On the defensive end however, Missouri is pretty average ranking 9th in the SEC giving up 70.1 ppg. Much like Alabama, they rely on their offense to outscore their opponent. This could end up being a game similar to how the Hogs played Alabama earlier this month.
As far as tournament implications in this game, Missouri is pretty much locked into March. However, the Hogs are the definition of a bubble team.
In Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology for ESPN, Arkansas is listed as one of the last 4 teams in, which would put them in Dayton, Ohio before the real action begins. They do have a few chances to improve their odds and make it more safely to the round of 64 as they have Texas and Vanderbilt on their upcoming schedule who are just ahead of the Hogs.
Arkansas and Missouri will go head-to-head at Bud Walton on Saturday at 7 p.m. airing on ESPN.