FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas puts its four-game, SEC win streak on the line Tuesday at Kentucky. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.
“A lot of things that we’ve got to get ready for in regards to Kentucky,” Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said this week.
A big chunk of that getting ready is to face a team led by returning player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, who is a defensive force down low, grabbing rebounds and making life miserable for a lot of people.
That means another big lineup with twins Makhel and Makhi Mitchell a possibility in the starting lineup. When Musselman went through what the Hogs will be facing, he talked about the defense much more than the offensive side of things.
“Obviously we’ve got to box out Tshiebwe,” he said. “They have a great freshman in Wallace, who does a great job on both sides of the ball. One of the best defenders in the country.
“CJ Fredrick’s the guy that can really rope threes. He stretches the defense out. Wheeler for them at the point guard spot’s got great speed, does an excellent job getting their team in their offense.
“Toppin is a guy that has a really good mid-range pull-up game. He’s an excellent defender, excellent offensive rebounder, kind of flies in from the weak side on the offensive boards.”
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (16-7, 5-5 SEC) at Kentucky Wildcats (16-7, 7-3 SEC)
What: Arkansas is riding a four-game SEC winning streak and a two-game winning streak versus Kentucky.
When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
Where: Rupp Arena (20,500), Lexington, Ky.
Television: ESPN (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes, Marty Smith)
Radio Stream: HitThatLine.com
Radio: ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM: 81 (Sirius)-81 (XM) • SXM App: Channel 81
• Arkansas and Kentucky have met on 46 previous occasions, all but four coming since Arkansas joined the SEC (1991-92). Kentucky owns a 33-13 advantage in the series, including a 29-13 mark in SEC games, Kentucky also leads in games played in Lexington, 15-4, including a 13-4 mark in SEC meetings.
• Arkansas won the last two meetings. Two years ago, Davonte Davis stole the last inbounds pass to seal an 81-80 victory in Rupp Arena. Last year, Arkansas won 75-73 in Bud Walton Arena thanks to 30 points from JD Notae.
• This is the first of two meetings between the programs this season as the schools close the regular season in Bud Walton Arena on CBS. This is just the second time since Arkansas joined the SEC that the Razorbacks and Wildcats will face each other twice in the regular season. The only other time came in 2013-14 when Arkansas swept Kentucky with a pair of overtime victories. First, Arkansas beat No. 13 Kentucky in Fayetteville (Jan. 14, 2014). Then, the Razorbacks handed the 17th-ranked Wildcats a 71-67 setback in Rupp Arena (Feb. 27, 2014).
• Davonte “Devo” Davis has scored in double figures a career-best, eight-straight games. During that span, he has come alive from 3-point range. In his first 81 career games, Devo was 29-of-126 (.230) from 3-point range and averaged 8.3 ppg. Over his last 8 games, Devo has made 20-of-45 (.444) from 3-point range and is averaging 16.6 ppg.
• Eric Musselman is one win away from 200 for his collegiate career (8th year). Muss won 553 games in 14 seasons as a professional coach (regular season and playoffs).
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
