Walt Beazley

Arkansas Set For Exhibition Opener

Game Notes | Tickets

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s basketball team will open its 2016-17 preseason on Friday at 7 p.m., welcoming Central Missouri to town for the first of two exhibition contests at Bud Walton Arena.

The Opponent
Three years removed from a Division II National Championship, Central Missouri returns three starters from a team that went 14-15 last season and finished 12th in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA).

UCM returns four of its top five scorers from last season, including junior guard Spencer Reaves who led the team in minutes played and three-point field goals made and attempted. The Mules also return their top rebounder in Marquiez Lawrence, who pulled down 208 rebounds last season, good enough to finish sixth in the MIAA.

What Coach Anderson is Saying
“Our guys are excited. It is a grind when you have been going after each other. There are only so many matchups that I can create in practice. Now they get a chance to play someone other than themselves. I really believe they are looking forward to it. This is their team, this is a new season. They want to be one of the better teams not only in our conference but the country. There is work to be done, we will be a work in progress with so many new faces, so guys have to get familiar with one another in this kind of setting.”

Anderson in Exhibitions
• The Razorbacks are 10-0 in exhibition games under Head Coach Mike Anderson.
• Arkansas has scored 89-plus points in seven of those 10 exhibition games and eclipsed the century mark four times.
• The Razorbacks have won those 10 exhibition games by an average of 31.4 points, including a 45-point victory over Southwestern Oklahoma State in last year’s preseason opener.
• Central Missouri marks the 10th consecutive NCAA Division II school Arkansas has played in exhibition action.
• During Anderson’s 14 years as a head coach, he is 28-0 all-time in exhibition contests.

Preseason Accolades
• Moses Kingsley – SEC Preseason Player of the Year
• Moses Kingsley – Watch List for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center.
• Dusty Hannahs – Watch List for the Jerry West Award as the nation’s best shooting guard.

Record Watch in 2016-17
• Moses Kingsley is 233 points shy of becoming the 40th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000 career points mark.
• Kingsley needs 156 rebounds to break into the top-10 in school history for career rebounds.
• Kingsley ranks fifth in school history with 163 career blocks.
• Dusty Hannahs is on pace to finish in the top-three in school history for career free throw percentage.
• Hannahs is on pace to break the school record for three-point field goal percentage in a career.
• Hannahs is 68 three-pointers away from breaking into the top-10 in school history for made three-pointers.

Tickets
Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2016-17 season are available now at the Razorback Ticket Center by calling at 1-800-982-HOGS (4647) and online by clicking here.

For more information on Arkansas men’s basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.