Arkansas-Miss. Valley St. - Saturday

Arkansas’ men’s basketball team has had a difficult holiday season but hopes that returning to the friendly confines of Bud Walton Arena will help get it back on the winning side of things. The Razorbacks take on Mississippi Valley State on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.

Arkansas (2-5) has scored 80-plus points in four of its seven games this season, but has struggled from the floor in its last two games. The Razorback defense however has improved over the last two contests which opens the door for a win with a good afternoon shooting the ball.

Mississippi Valley State (1-6) has lost four of its last five games including their last contest, 85-65, to Kennesaw St. That contest saw three Delta Devils score in double figures led by Ricky Lamb who hit for 16 points and grabbed a team best seven rebounds. Senior guard Julius Cheeks leads the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game while D’Angelo Jackson has been very good off the bench with a team leading 17 assists and 8.4 points per game.

The Razorbacks began with great intensity against the Oklahoma Sooners in their last contest. Crashing the boards and setting things up on the offensive end allowed Arkansas to jump out to an early lead. The Sooners got hot at the end of the first and never looked back while their tough defense prevented Arkansas from getting many open looks at the basket.

The Arkansas-Mississippi Valley State game can be heard on radio across the state of Arkansas on the Razorback Sports Network with Mike Nail and Rick Schaeffer giving the calls. Nail is in his 29th and final season as the play-by-play voice of the Razorbacks.

Looking past the Mississippi Valley State contest, Arkansas stays at Bud Walton Arena for its next game against Delaware State on Monday, Dec. 7.