Hogs open play in NCAA on Friday afternoon

DETROIT, Mich. —  Making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in a four-year span for the first time in 10 years, No. 7-seed Arkansas tips off with No. 10-seed Butler on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Detroit at 2:10 p.m. at Little Caesars Arena.

The Rundown
Opponent: (10) Butler Bulldogs (20-13)
Date: Friday, March 16
Site: Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.)
Tip-off: 2:10 p.m. CT
TV: truTV | Watch Live
Live Stats: Click Here
Sirius/XM Radio: 138/202

The #Fastest40 Facts
• With a 5-2 mark this season, Arkansas has won five-plus neutral site games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 10 years.

• Arkansas faced 11 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament and posted an 8-8 record against those programs. Five of the 8 wins came against top 8 seeds.

• The Razorbacks have five wins over ranked opponents this year, the most such wins since knocking off eight AP Top 25 teams during the 1994-95 National Runner-up season.

• Arkansas’ 122 dunks are the most in the Mike Anderson era, and Daniel Gafford’s 74 slams are 27 more dunks than Butler has all season as a team.

• At 40.1 percent from behind the arc, the Razorbacks are on pace to record the second-highest three-point percentage by any SEC team in the last 25 years. Florida shot 40.9 percent in 2007.

• Arkansas has won 40 consecutive games when leading at halftime. During the Mike Anderson era, the Razorbacks are 125-7 (.946) when leading at the break.

• Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon are the only two players in the SEC to rank in the top 10 in points per game, 3-point FG percentage and FG percentage.

• Barford (.436) and Macon (.429) rank first and second in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage. No other high-major league in the country has its top 3-point shooters from the same team.

Let’s Dance
• The Razorbacks hold a 42-31 all-time record in 31 NCAA Tournament appearances.

• Holding a 20-11 overall record in NCAA openers, Arkansas has three straight opening-round victories.

• Arkansas has won its first two NCAA Tournament games nine times (1996 – Last time).

Boss Hog In March
• Mike Anderson is one of five head coaches in this year’s NCAA Tournament field to lead three different programs to three NCAA Tournaments.

• The Boss Hog is one of four current Division I coaches with 15 years of head coaching experience and zero losing seasons.

• Anderson is making his ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He is 9-8 all-time in the Big Dance, including one Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight.

• He is 6-2 in his first game of the NCAA Tournament, including two consecutive wins.