Arkansas Set for Saturday Showdown at Tennessee
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s basketball team (14-14, 7-8 SEC) hits the road again this weekend, traveling to Knoxville for a showdown with Tennessee (13-15, 6-9) Saturday evening in Thompson-Boling Arena at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Tip-off: Saturday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.)
TV: SEC Network | WatchESPN
The Opponent
• The Volunteers are 13-15 on the year with a 6-9 record in SEC play. Although Tennessee is 4-6 in its last 10 games, the team has won four consecutive contests in Knoxville, with the other six being on the road. In all, the Vols have a 12-2 record in the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena. Earlier this season on Feb. 6, Tennessee visited Arkansas and the Razorbacks posted a convincing 85-67 victory in which they never trailed in the game.
• Senior guard Kevin Punter leads the Vols, and is second in the SEC, with 22.2 points per game. He also contributes 2.2 three-pointers, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. However, Punter has missed the last two games with a foot injury and is questionable for Saturday night’s contest. Senior forward Armani Moore controls the paint for Tennessee, leading the team with 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while also averaging 11.8 points and a team-best 3.9 assists. The Vols lead the SEC with a 73.1 percent free throw mark and by averaging only 11 turnovers a game.
• Head coach Rick Barnes is in his first season at Tennessee, and has a 617-329 (.652) record in 28-plus seasons, combined with his career at Texas, Clemson, Providence and George Mason. In his career, Barnes has 21 NCAA Tournament victories and has reached as far as the 2003 Final Four with the Longhorns.
#Fastest40 Facts
• Arkansas leads the all-time series 20-16, including three straight wins against the Vols. The Razorbacks last won in Knoxville during the 2005-06 season.
• With Tuesday’s victory against LSU, head coach Mike Anderson earned his 100th career victory at Arkansas and his 300th win overall. He is the seventh coach in program history to reach 100 wins at the helm of the Razorbacks.
• The Razorbacks have seen eight of their 14 losses come by four points or fewer, including three of those in overtime.
• Arkansas leads the SEC and ranks No. 10 in the country in three-point field goal percentage at .404 and is on pace to break the school record of .395 set during the 1992-93 season.
• Arkansas, Michigan State and Syracuse are the only high major programs in the country with 70-plus made three pointers by two different players as Bell (80) and Hannahs (72) continue to light up the #SplashZone.
• The Razorbacks are the only high major program in the country with three players averaging 15-plus points per game with Kingsley (16.3), Hannahs (16.2) and Bell (15.9). The scoring trio has combined to produce 34 games of 20-plus points.
• Moses Kingsley (15) and LSU’s Ben Simmons (19) are the only players in the SEC with 15-plus double-doubles on the year and two of only four high major players.
• Kingsley and South Carolina’s Michael Carrera are the only players in the SEC with double-doubles in each of their last four games.
• The Abuja, Nigeria, native has been named one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as the nation’s top center.
• Jabril Durham is one of seven players in the country with six double-digit assist games this season. He has six of the 17 double-digit assist performances in the SEC this year and is the only player in the country with multiple games of 10 points, 10 assists and five steals.
• Tuesday night against LSU, Anthlon Bell passed Razorback legend and all-time leading scorer Todd Day for fourth place on the program’s list for three pointers made. Bell has sank 228 career treys.
Series Notes
• Arkansas leads the all-time series 20-16, including three straight wins against the Vols.
• Mike Anderson is 4-2 all-time against Rick Barnes, with five of those meetings taking place when both coaches were in the Big 12 Conference.
• The Razorbacks have lost five straight games in Knoxville, last winning in Thompson Boiling Arena on Feb. 25, 2006, upsetting No. 10 Tennessee 73-69.
• The Razorbacks’ school record for field goals attempted in an SEC game came against Tennessee in 1993 with 88 attempts.
• Arkansas put up 24 assists against Tennessee on Feb. 25, 2006, the 10th most by the Razorbacks in an SEC game in program history.
Up Next
Arkansas will play one more regular season road game, traveling to Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, March 2. Tip-off in Coleman Coliseum is slated for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
For more information on Arkansas men’s basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.
