On the road to Vanderbilt

The University of Arkansas basketball team heads out on the road this Saturday, Feb. 9, to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., in a 12:47 p.m., game televised by the SEC Network.

Arkansas (14-8, 5-4 SEC) picked up its biggest win in several years on Tuesday night when it took down the No. 2 Florida Gators at Bud Walton Arena.  The game ended a tough stretch of three games in six days and the Razorback defense was stifling as it upset Florida, 80-69.  Keys to the win included Arkansas’ ability to force turnovers and score points off the miscues, but perhaps more importantly it was the ability to make shots that allowed the Razorbacks to pull away.  Arkansas knocked down 7-of-13 three-point attempts in the opening half which allowed it to take an early lead that it would never surrender.

The Razorbacks are led by junior Marshawn Powell who is averaging 15.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.  Powell is joined by BJ Young in double figures (16.5) and the duo make up one of the most prolific scoring tandems in the Southeastern Conference as both are ranked among the top 10 for conference games.  The Arkansas starting lineup was given a shake up prior to the game with Tennessee and freshman Michael Qualls has delivered, averaging nine points and seven rebounds over the last three games.

Vanderbilt (8-13, 2-7 SEC) has struggled of late, losing their last four games including a one-point heartbreaker at LSU on Wednesday.  The Commodores continue to be led on the court by Kedren Johnson (14.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and have great three-point shooting from multiple sources as they hit 35.3 percent as a team.

Arkansas and Vanderbilt are meeting for the second time this season and the Razorbacks are 1-0 against the Commodores this season and 18-9 all-time.  The Razorbacks have won the last three meetings between the two programs and eight of the last 10.  Arkansas’ last trip to Nashville saw former Razorbacks Michael Sanchez and Rotnei Clarke have huge games in an upset of the then No. 19 Commodores.

The Razorback game against Vanderbilt will be broadcast on the radio across the Razorback Sports Network from IMG College with Chuck Barrett and Rick Schaeffer giving the call.  The game will also be carried live on the SEC Network with Clay Matvick and Joe Dean on air.