Men's Basketball
Arkansas wraps up 2019 on road Sunday against Indiana
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (10-1) at Indiana Hoosiers (11-1)
What: Arkansas’ final game of 2019; End Non-Conference Portion of Schedule
When: Sunday – Dec. 29, 2019 – 6:00 pm (ET)/5:00 pm (CT)
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall – Bloomington, Ind.
How (to follow):
• TV: Big Ten Network (Lisa Byington and Dan Bonner)
• CLICK HERE to Watch Big Ten Network on Fox Sports App Online
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
• Online: HitThatLine.com
• Sirius/XM: XM Channel 391 and streaming online, channel 938
• Live Stats: www.Indiana.StatBroadcast.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will play its final men’s basketball game of 2019 — and wrap up its non-conference portion of the schedule — on Sunday at Indiana.
The game will be telecast on Big Ten Network and tipoff is set for 5 p.m. You can hear the game at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home and online at HitThatLine.com.
After Sunday, Arkansas will return home to open SEC play by hosting Texas A&M in a game officially announced Saturday as being sold out.
Against Indiana
• This is the fifth meeting between Arkansas and Indiana. The series is ties, 2-2, but the Hoosiers are 2-0 versus the Razorbacks in Bloomington.
• Indiana won the first game in the series with a 75-50 decision early in the 1949-50 season in Bloomington.
• A mere 58 years later, Arkansas won the next encounter, 86-72, in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament East Regional.
• The team met twice last season. The Razorbacks won an exciting 73-72 decision in Bud Walton Arena in game three. The Hoosiers evened the series, 2-2, with a 63-60 win in the second round of the 2019 NIT..
The NET, RPI and Bracketology
• Arkansas’ NET was 33 in the most recent NCAA NET rankings (Dec. 16).
• Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (8).
• The rest of the SEC: Tennessee (46); Ole Miss (51); Florida (56); LSU (58); Missouri (68); Kentucky (72); Georgia (75); Alabama (77); South Carolina (90); Miss. State (101); Vanderbilt (133) and Texas A&M (205).
• Arkansas has an RPI of 20.
• Arkansas’ RPI is better than eight teams in the top 25, including Memphis, Penn State, Arizona, Michigan, Iowa, Virginia, Gonzaga and Washington.
• ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Hogs as a #12 seed, facing VCU in a play-in game to earn one of the final spots.
• The rest of the SEC: Tennessee (46); Ole Miss (51); Florida (56); LSU (58); Missouri (68); Kentucky (72); Georgia (75); Alabama (77); South Carolina (90); Miss. State (101); Vanderbilt (133) and Texas A&M (205).
• Arkansas’ RPI is better than eight teams in the top 25, including Memphis, Penn State, Arizona, Michigan, Iowa, Virginia, Gonzaga and Washington.
Musselmans’ history with Indiana
• There is not a lot of history between Arkansas and Indiana. However, the Musselmans have a history with the Hoosiers.
• Eric Musselman coached former Hoosiers Calbert Chaney, Brian Evans, Alan Henderson, Keith Smart, Jay Edwards and Jim Thomas in professional basketball.
• On Jan. 8, 1972 Minnesota hosted Indiana. The game was the Big 10 opener for both teams and the first Big 10 conference game coached by Golden Gopher head coach Bill Musselman (Eric’s father) and Hoosier head coach Bobby Knight. Minnesota won 52-51.
• Bill Musselman (Wooster, Ohio) and Bobby Knight (Orrville, Ohio) also grew up as high school rivals.
• During the 1998 NBA lockout, Bill and Eric Musselman spent a week with Coach Knight observing practice..
Rare trip to Big 10 land
• Even though Arkansas played Indiana twice last year, including a season-ending loss in Bloomington in the second round of the NIT, this will be just the eighth time Arkansas has played a regular-season game at a Big 10 opponent.
• Arkansas at Big 10 opponent (0-7)
– at Indiana (NIT) 03/23/19 L, 60-63
– at Minnesota 11/22/16 L, 71-85
– at Michigan 12/08/12 L, 67-80
– at Ohio State 12/01/84 L, 84-85
– at Michigan 12/06/80 L, 65-75
– at Indiana 1949-50 L, 50-72
– at Illinois 1949-50 L, 53-65
Joe & Jones end 11-year drought
• Last year, Isaiah Joe and Mason Jones rarely had good games on the same day. Their best games together include FIU (Joe 34 & Jones 19) and Tennessee (Joe 23 & Jones 18).
• The duo has scored in double figures six times in the same game this season.
• Jones scored 32 and Joe 24 in the season opener.
• Game 2, each scored game-high 16 vs North Texas.
• Both scored 16 in win over Austin Peay,
• The past two games, Joe and Jones have each scored at least 20.
• 12/14/19 Tulsa Joe: 20 / Jones: 41
• 12/21/19 Valpo Joe: 21 / Jones: 20
• The last time two Razorbacks scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games was the 2008-09 season when Michael Washington and Courtney Fortson accomplished the feat.
• 12/10/08 NC Central Washington: 20 / Fortson: 20
• 12/17/08 Austin Peay Washington: 24 / Fortson: 20
Hey Joe, one triple from Top 10
• Isaiah Joe went into several record books last season. He set four school records for 3-pointers, two SEC freshman records (while being just the fourth SEC frosh to lead the league 3PT%) and made the fourth-most 3-pointers by a freshman in NCAA history.
• Joe is on the verge of entering the Arkansas career record for 3-pointers made.
• Joe has made 152 career triples — one shy of 10th (153 by Jonathan Modica (2003-06).
• Joe has made 152 treys in 45 career games. By comparison, Modica needed 118 games to make his 153.
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List
• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• FANS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER HERE.
