The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-12; 6-10 SEC) face the Vanderbilt Commodores (20-9; 8-8 SEC) tonight in Nashville. Although the Hogs are coming off a pathetic performance against the South Carolina Gamecocks, one can expect them to play hungry tonight against the Commodores, given that they need another quality win to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume.
However, Vanderbilt is not interested in allowing Arkansas to improve its NCAA Tournament resume. The Commodores wish to improve their SEC record to bolster their NCAA Tournament resume and seeding. ESPN BET Sportsbook indicates that the Arkansas Razorbacks are 7.5-point underdogs against the Vanderbilt Commodores. According to ESPN Analytics, the Hogs have only a 39.9% chance of upsetting Vandy. While those odds are not as promising as Razorback Nation would like them to be, they reveal Arkansas has a legitimate chance to upset the Commodores.
The Razorbacks have defied the odds against Kentucky, Texas, and Missouri. Therefore, if Arkansas defeats Vanderbilt, no one should be surprised. The odds are primarily against Arkansas because they must combat injuries to key players. This piece identifies the players available for tonight's SEC clash between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville.
Arkansas basketball vs. Vanderbilt Injury Report
Vanderbilt Commodores
According to the SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report, the Vanderbilt Commodores have two players unavailable to play tonight because of injuries: Alex Hemenway and Grant Huffman. Grant Huffman is a senior guard who averages 3.4 points per game and shoots 43.8% from the field.
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Arkansas Razorbacks will not have their best two players tonight because of injuries: Boogie Fland, a star freshman guard, and Adou Thiero, the team's leader in steals, scoring, and rebounding. Therefore, without those two excellent players, the Hogs will have difficulty upsetting Vandy.