The Hoop Hogs stay home and look to bounce back against No. 8 Florida in Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks are coming off a 73-66 lose to No. 23 Ole Miss in the Hogs’ last game. The Razorbacks are still searching for their first conference win this season after starting 0-2. The Gators have had an impressive 14-1 start to their season, with their only loss to No. 6 Kentucky, 106-100.
“They’re probably one of the better teams in the country in transition,” assistant coach Chuck Martin said. “They really do a great job of rebounding the ball, getting ahead, and getting to the rim.”
Previewing Florida
Currently, Florida is No. 4 in points scored, No. 5 in points allowed, No. 1 in rebounds, No. 1 in point differential, and No. 4 in the SEC in blocks per game. Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. ranks No. 4 in the SEC in three-pointers made per game.
Clayton leads the Gators in points and assists. He averages 17.5 points and 3.9 assists per game in 31.1 minutes per game. Florida big man Alex Condon leads the team in rebounds and blocks per game, with 8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
The Gators’ second-leading scorer, guard Alijah Martin, who transferred in from FAU, shared the backcourt with Arkansas guard Johnell Davis. The pair were major contributors to the Owls’ Final Four run and will now face each other for the first time in their collegiate careers.
Previewing Arkansas
After dropping their first two SEC games to start conference play, the Hoop Hogs need to get things going sooner rather than later. Arkansas will need more production from their frontcourt in this matchup after only having five combined points from their big men in the loss to Ole Miss.
“We’re trying to do a better job of incorporating our perimeter guys with our bigs,” Martin said. “Where we can have a balance of some post presence and obviously some threat from the three-point line.”
On the season, Arkansas as a team is No. 3 in field goal percentage and No. 2 in blocks per game in the SEC. Individually, Boogie Fland is No. 2 in the SEC in assists per game, and Zvonimir Ivisic is No. 2 in the SEC in blocks per game.
Johnell Davis has had an up-and-down season that’s been affected by injuries in his first year with the Hogs. In his last game, he showed more of the offensive skills that many expected him to display this season. He had 15 points coming off the bench, including 3 of 7 from behind the three-point line and went a perfect 4 for 4 from the foul line.
“He’s trying to work his way back in,” Martin said. “He had been out for a few games, so it would be unfair for us to just throw him out there in the starting lineup, particularly in SEC play.”
Broadcast Information
Time: 3 p.m. CST
Date: Jan. 11
Location: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
TV: ESPN
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