Arkansas Razorbacks vs Texas A&M: Preview and Stats
By Jose Harber
The Arkansas Razorbacks look to bounce back after three straight loses in the SEC but their next opponent, No.5 Texas A&M, beat them by 23 last time they met.
Lets face it, the Hogs have a really tough game ahead of them tonight. Texas A&M is first in the SEC with a 7-0 record and are riding a ten game win streak. They have not lost since early December. They are the fifth ranked team in the nation and for good reason. They have three players who average double digit points per game, including Jalen Jones who put 28 on the Hogs last time. The Aggies look like a dominant team, thanks in part to recruiting and good coaching. As a team they rank 6th in the country in assists per game (19.0) and 24th in points allowed (63.7). These are not the Aggies of old and according to the bracketology experts, they would be a 2 seed as of right now. Stop rubbing your eyes, your read that correctly, the A&M Aggies would be a 2 seed. Talk about bizzarro world.
The Hogs on the other hand, are about the complete opposite of A&M. After starting out to a surprising 3-1 start to conference, they have lived up to their sad expectations, fumbling away wins and losing three straight. Now 3-4 in the SEC, they face an almost certain loss in the Aggies. As a team the Razorbacks are 13th in the nation in assists per game (17.7) and 21st in points scored per game (82.3) and surprisingly rank fourth in 3-point percentage. That all means a lot of nothing when there is a lack of on the court leadership and the inability to finish off games. It also helps to be able to inbound the ball, something the Hogs need a lot of practice on. Jabril Durham still ranks 6th in the nation in assists per game, Dusty Hannahs is still scoring in bunches and Moses Kingsley continues to be as important as any player to his team as there is in the country. Mike Anderson has shown he can develop players but he’s also not a miracle worker. This team has promise but no results.
When it comes to a surprise upset, the Arkansas Razorbacks will need to be firing on all cylinders. A couple of years ago a No.2 ranked Florida team came into Bud Walton and were stunned as the Hogs came out fast and jumped ahead with a big lead thanks to some big three pointers. The same will need to happen tonight if the Hogs want to stand a chance. They seriously have nothing to lose, so come out and put that 3-point percentage to the test. Start firing them off like the Golden State Warriors and try to get a good lead going. Even then, the Hogs will have to be on top of their game defensively to keep a comeback from happening. If they are able to get hot from beyond the arc it will make the Aggies have to come out to defend the three, giving Kingsley space down low to work and do what he does best. Is there a chance the Hogs can win? Of course there is, they are a good shooting team with a good post presence. But the chances of them winning are slim at this point, just based on everything we’ve seen from them so far this year. So in recap, to win the Hogs need to hit threes early and often, feed Kingsley like he’s a starving child and actually play some defense like they want to win. Oh, and they most definitely can NOT let the Aggies get second chance points. That will almost seal the fate for the Hogs if they can’t rebound.
Tipoff is tonight at 6pm on ESPNU. That’s channel 208 for DirectTV, 141 for Dish, 120 (2120 for HD) for Cox, and 605 (1605 HD) for U-Verse.
Woo Pig.