Arkansas basketball is back in Bud Walton Arena tonight against No. 8 Tennessee. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Razorbacks (12-11, 3-7 SEC) are coming off a 78-75 win over Georgia last Saturday. They are 2-3 at home in conference play and looking gunning for back-to-back wins for the first time this calendar year.
The Volunteers, a No. 2 seed in Joe Lunardi’s latest NCAA Tournament projection, are 17-6 overall and 7-3 inside the league. They fell 85-69 at Texas A&M over the weekend.
Curtis Wilkerson and Scottie Bordelon are back with several keys and things they will be keeping an eye on in this matchup. This is the 4-Point Play:
• How will the Hogs handle Dalton Knecht?
Arkansas will have its hands full Wednesday night when it comes to Knecht, a dynamic wing who has proven to be one of the nation’s most prolific scorers in his first season with the Vols.
Knecht is averaging 20.3 points per game on 47.7/40.5/76.6 shooting splits and has actually seen an uptick in his production after transferring up from Northern Colorado. The 6-6 wing has gone for more than 30 points in five games so far, including a season-high 39 against Florida on Jan. 16.
The Razorbacks have had a difficult time containing opposing stars essentially all season, and Knecht very well may be the best scorer they have seen.
There might be something to the notion of Knecht getting his and limiting everyone else — which has been a theme in some of Tennessee’s losses — but it will likely be a combination of Tramon Mark, Devo Davis and potentially even freshman Layden Blocker when it comes to drawing the toughest individual assignment.
“He’s their main guy,” Blocker said of Knecht. “He’s averaged like 30 [points] in the last six games. He’s a potential lottery pick. That’s definitely an alert.
“In my opinion, I don’t care who I guard. I would guard anybody.”
— Curtis Wilkerson
• Arkansas’ bigs need to bring it again
Makhi Mitchell and Jalen Graham have put up 26.3 points per game in the Razorbacks’ last four outings and been productive in a number of areas. Arkansas likely needs another big-time effort from them, as well as Chandler Lawson, to compete with the Vols.
“They’ve been playing very good, and I feel like it just comes with opportunity,” Blocker said of the team’s big men. “They’ve gotten an opportunity to play, and everybody knew they could play.
“They’ve been playing and been producing.”
Tennessee’s frontcourt has gained a reputation over the years for toughness and physicality on the glass and around the rim. This season, Josiah-Jordan James, Jonas Aidoo, Tobe Awaka and Jahmai Mashack pose a big threat collectively.
Can Arkansas’ front line match what they bring to the table? Aidoo is in the top 10 in SEC play in offensive and defensive rebound rate, and block percentage, according to KenPom. Mashack, who stands 6-4, is No. 5 in offensive rebound rate, too.
Game plan discipline is vital every game, but it’s paramount for the Razorbacks’ forwards tonight.
— Scottie Bordelon
• Will Arkansas have the shot-making to keep pace?
Another year, another great defensive squad for Rick Barnes at Tennessee. The Vols have had some slip-ups here and there, but they enter Fayetteville ranked inside the top 10 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage defense and two-point defense.
Nothing comes easy against a Tennessee squad that grinds down the opposition with an average length of possession of 18.8 seconds, which is tops in the SEC. Quality shots are hard to come by against the Vols.
Arkansas is not the defensive team it has been in past seasons under Eric Musselman, so the Razorbacks will need to knock down some shots – likely tough ones – to keep pace.
The issue is the Hogs rank dead last in SEC play in offensive efficiency and next to last in both two-point and three-point percentage. Can Arkansas make up the difference by getting to the charity stripe and converting?
And will someone step up alongside Mark in the scoring department?
— Curtis Wilkerson
• Can the Hogs limit Zakai Zeigler’s playmaking?
No player in the SEC sets the table for his teammates better than the 5-9 Zeigler. He leads the league at 5.6 assists per game, and his assist rate of 32.7% is the best in the conference, per KenPom.
Zeigler averages 5.9 assists in Tennessee wins this season and 4.7 in the team’s losses. Slowing his creation for others feels like a must.
The guard has a pair of games with 10-plus assists in SEC play, and he’s less than 2 weeks removed from a 13-assist outing at Kentucky.
“He’s really small and quick,” Blocker said. “Limiting him getting in the paint and passing to his teammates [is key]. He looks to pass a lot.”
Zeigler is also averaging 19.3 points and 3.3 rim scores in the Vols’ last three games.
“I feel like the main key is stopping Zeigler in transition,” Blocker said.
— Scottie Bordelon