2. Who's taking the point?
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler suffered a season-ending knee injury last year against the Razorbacks, but he seems back to his All-SEC form going into SEC play in 2025. The feisty undersized point guard is averaging a career high 11.7 points a game and a career high average in assists at 8.1.
He'll be facing Arkansas' three-headed hounds of hell on point of the Arkansas defense in 6-2 freshmen sensation Boogie Fland, 6-4 junior D.J. Wagner and 6-4 transfer portal prize Johnell Davis. The triumvirate has averaged more than a steal a game each so far this season and made such an impression in the pre-season opener than Kansas coach Bill Self, who's team came into the season as the No. 1 team in the country.
Kansas sported one of college's most decorated and heralded point guards, but Self declared afterwards that the Arkansas trio would be the best backcourt his Jayhawks would see all season. If there's been a problem with Arkansas' would-be Cerberus, it's been injuries and adjusting to playing with one another on offense.
All three prefer to have the ball in their hands on offense, but unlike Zeigler they don't seem to be willing passers — averaging 15.8 points and six assists for Fland, 10 points and 3.2 assists for Wagner and nine points and almost two assists per game for Davis.
Davis, however, has missed the last few games with an undisclosed injury and struggled to live up to his pre-season billing so far. If he shows up on both ends of the court and learns to mesh with his mates in the backcourt rotation, Zeigler — who comes into the game averaging career lows in three point percentage (.289) and turnovers (3.3) — Arkansas could win the battle in the backcourt.
Next: Signs of Jonas