The Hoop Hogs are coming off their best win of the season, an 89-79 victory over Kentucky on the road. Now, the Razorbacks will stay on the road as they take on the Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center.
“One of the things that we did from that game [Kentucky],” assistant coach Kenny Payne said. “We went back and watched them and showed them exactly what they did well. The energy they played with on defense, the concentration and focus, being locked into every single detail that’s going on in the game. We have to play that way to finish this season.”
Previewing Texas
The Longhorns have been one of the better defensive teams in the SEC this season. They rank fourth in the conference in points allowed at just 66.2 per game. Texas is coming off a win over LSU, where they held the Tigers to only 58 points.
“They play with a lot of energy,” Payne said. “They’ve got two very good scorers. They have a kid who played here last year who’s a very good player with Trey Johnson and [Arthur] Kaluma. They create a lot of problems because they are attacking, rebound the ball well and are good in transition.”
Freshman Tre Johnson has played a large role for this Texas team, averaging a team-high 19 points per game while shooting 45% from the field, 88.6% from the foul line, and 37.7% from three-point range. Along with him, the Longhorns also have Arthur Kaluma, who averages 13.6 points and a team-high eight rebounds per game. Kaluma has shown he can step up when needed, he exploded for 34 points in their close 87-82 loss to Auburn earlier this season. Tramon Mark who played a critical role in last year’s Arkansas team, transferred to Texas over the summer and is averaging 9.6 points per game along with 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Previewing the Hoop Hogs
The Hoop Hogs are coming off a huge road win against Kentucky. In that game, five of the eight Razorbacks who played finished in double digits, led by Adou Thiero. Not only did they perform well offensively, but six of the eight Hogs who played also recorded at least one steal.
“I thought we were locked into the game plan,” Payne said. “I think the ball moved, and we attacked them some. Shot execution was very good, and anytime for us that we can get out in transition and get 18 points against a team like that, it makes it a lot better.”
Thiero has been huge for the Hogs this season, but for continued success against Texas, the Razorbacks will need another complete team performance like their last outing. Johnell Davis had a big impact in the last game with 18 points while shooting 50% from the field, and Arkansas will need him to replicate that performance. DJ Wagner added 17 points and eight assists, facilitating the offense, finding his teammates, and getting to his spots to knock down shots.
After starting SEC play 0-5, the Hogs have dug themselves into a hole. If they hope to make a push for the NCAA Tournament, they will need to start piling up SEC wins in their final 10 games.
Broadcast Information
Time: 8 p.m. CST
Date: Feb. 5
Location: Moody Center, Austin, Texas
TV: ESPN2
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