The Razorbacks are on a roll, but can Arkansas knock off No. 1-ranked Auburn?
While the Big Blue Nation will have its sights set on Kentucky-South Carolina in Columbia on Tuesday, the remainder of the SEC, if not the entire nation, will be focusing on the hoop happenings in Fayetteville, Ark.
That’s where Eric Musselman’s red-hot Arkansas Razorbacks will attempt to remove the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers from the conference unbeaten ranks. ESPN has the 7 p.m. telecast. And Arkansas has the fans that can’t wait for the matchup.
“We’ve got some tents up already,” Musselman said Monday. “Some students out there camping out. That’s cool to see.”
After a head-scratcher of an 0-3 league start, the Razorbacks have ripped off eight straight wins. They’ve done it fast. They’ve done it slow. Arkansas nearly hit the century mark in a 99-73 thumping of lowly Georgia in Athens on Wednesday night. Then it shifted gears on Saturday to go possession-by-possession in beating Mississippi State 63-55 at Bud Walton Arena.
Now 18-5 overall, Arkansas has yet to return to the AP Top 25. It sits 28th in the latest kenpom numbers, 57th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 29th in adjusted defensive efficiency. The men of Musselman — he’s the guy in the sling after recently undergoing shoulder surgery — have climbed to No. 37 in the NCAA NET rankings.
Auburn has won 19 straight games, but the streak nearly stopped at Georgia, of all places, before the Tigers clipped the league cellar-dwellers 74-72. Wendell Green’s layup with 3.3 seconds remaining saved Bruce Pearl’s club from embarrassment.
“Wendell is a winner,” said Pearl of the transfer from EKU. “I’ll take my chances with him and the ball in a game-winner every day.”
Green finished with 19 points and former Bulldogs guard K.D. Johnson scored 20 points as Auburn improved to 22-1, despite the protests of Georgia Coach Tom Crean, who believed Green should have been whistled for a foul before the deciding bucket.
“I have zero interest in sending one dollar to the SEC,” Crean said afterward, “but I would just say that everything that’s been described to me in drawing charges, I would say that would be textbook.”
The record book shows Georgia is 6-17 overall and 1-9 in the conference heading into Wednesday’s game at Florida, 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Speaking of the Gators, welcome back Colin Castleton. The 6-foot-11 senior missed six games with a shoulder injury before returning Saturday to scored 17 points and snatch seven rebounds in Florida’s 62-57 overtime win over Ole Miss. Mike White’s team went 4-2 in Castleton’s absence, but the Gators are surely better with the former Michigan man. Despite practicing just once in three weeks, Castleton played a season-high 35 minutes against the Rebels.
“I would be lying if I said it didn’t suck. It was definitely rough not being able to play out there, but I believed in my teammates,” said Castleton afterward. “If somebody takes something you love away from you, it definitely hurts.”
If Arkansas and Kentucky are on the rise, then LSU and Texas A&M are in free fall. Misery must love company since the SEC Network has the two playing Tuesday at 7 p.m. in College Station.
LSU has lost six of its last seven games after falling 75-66 at Vanderbilt on Saturday. Once 3-1 in SEC play, Will Wade’s club has caved to 4-6. “We need better play from a lot of folks,” Wade said after the loss in Nashville.
LSU has not been the same without point guard Xavier Pinson, who has played just 23 minutes since spraining a knee on Jan. 8 against Tennessee. He did not play at Vanderbilt. The Tigers are 2-6 since the Missouri transfer suffered the injury.
Remember when Texas A&M boasted a shiny 4-0 conference record before playing host to Kentucky on Jan. 19? The Aggies’ 64-58 loss to the Cats started a tailspin that was extended to six games with a 70-66 loss to visiting Missouri last Saturday.
Mizzou gets the 9 p.m. time slot Tuesday for its game at Vanderbilt. Missouri’s win over A&M snapped a four-game losing streak. Vandy has won two of its last three.
Next question: Has Tennessee put its season-long offensive struggles in the rear-view mirror? After a 52-51 loss in Rick Barnes’ homecoming game at Texas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the Vols discovered some offensive punch in a 90-80 win over Texas A&M, then blitzed South Carolina 81-57 in Columbia.
The Vols shot 50.9 percent and made 11 of their 26 three-point attempts in besting the Aggies. They turned around and made 14 of 27 shots from behind the arc to further darken Frank Martin’s mood on Saturday.
Going 4-of-5 from three-point range, about the only thing UT freshman freshman Zakai Ziegler missed — but just barely — was a trash can when an upset stomach caused him to throw up during the game. “He spit up on me a little,” Barnes admitted.
Now 7-3 and tied for third in the league with Arkansas behind Kentucky and Auburn, Tennessee visits Starkville on Wednesday to play Mississippi State in a 9 p.m. game on ESPN2. The Bulldogs dropped to 5-4 in league play with the loss at Arkansas, but did get big man Tolu Smith back from a knee injury.
Also Wednesday, Alabama and Ole Miss tangle in Oxford, 8:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. Losers of three of its last four, Bama surely has been getting in some extra shooting after going 3-of-30 from three-point range in its 66-55 loss to visiting Kentucky last Saturday. Ole Miss is trying to make do without freshman guard Daeshun Ruffin, who was averaging 12.6 points per game before tearing his ACL last week.
SEC mid-week basketball schedule
Tuesday, Feb. 8
- 7 p.m. - Auburn at Arkansas (ESPN2)
- 7 p.m. - Kentucky at South Carolina (ESPN)
- 7 p.m. - LSU at Texas A&M (SEC)
- 9 p.m. - Missouri at Vanderbilt (SEC)
Wednesday, Feb. 9
- 6:30 p.m. - Georgia at Florida (SEC)
- 8:30 p.m. - Alabama at Ole Miss (SEC)
- 9 p.m. - Tennessee at Mississippi State (ESPN2)
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
