Arkansas Ready For Showdown With Wake Forest

AT A GLANCE
After beginning the season with its 41st consecutive home-opening win, Arkansas will look to start 2-0 for the fifth straight year when it hosts ACC member Wake Forest Wednesday on the SEC Network. Head coach Mike Anderson has started 2-0 in each of his 12 seasons leading a program and will coach his 100th game at Arkansas. Wake Forest is one of just two ACC teams to ever visit Bud Walton Arena, coming away victorious in both 1999 and 2001. Wake Forest is the first of two ACC teams on Arkansas’ non-conference schedule, as it will head to Clemson on Dec. 7, to finish off a home-and-home with the Tigers. The Razorbacks have a streak of 44 consecutive wins at home against unranked non-conference opponents.

COACHING MATCHUP
@RazorbackMBB
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (Tulsa ‘82)
Record at Arkansas: 60-39 (4th Season)
Overall Record: 260-137 (13th Season)
Vs. Wake Forest: First Meeting

Wake Forest
Head Coach: Danny Manning (Kansas ‘88)
Record at Wake Forest: 2-0 (1st Season)
Career Record: 40-29 (3rd Season)
Vs Arkansas: First Meeting

STARTING 5 QUICK 5 HITS
#00 | Rashad MADDEN (G)
First Arkansas native to lead the team in scoring (12.7) since Sonny Weems (2007-08).
One of just three SEC players to lead their team in scoring and return in 2014-15.
All five 20-point games in 2013-14 came at Bud Walton Arena.
Sixth player in program history to lead in scoring and assists (2.8) in the same year.
240 points shy of becoming the 36th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.
#05 | Anthlon BELL (G)
Opened the year with 20 points, including 15 in the second half.
Scored 20+ points in last three games at Bud Walton, hitting 17-of-22 from three.
Has 71 points in his last 65 minutes played at Bud Walton Arena.
Scored 20+ points in three of the last six games, dating back to last year.
Led the team in three-pointers in each of the last two seasons.
#24 | Michael QUALLS (G)
Went for 13 points in the opener, good for his 30th career double figure outing.
Ranked in the top three in points (11.6), rebounds (4.5) and assists (1.9) in 2013-14.
Increased scoring average by 7.0 points from freshman (4.6) to sophomore (11.6) year.
Team-leading 33 dunks in 2013-14 and 55 for his career.
Landed on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays eight times in 2013-14.
#02 | Alandise HARRIS (F)
Scored double figures in the last three games – tied for longest streak as a Razorback.
Reached double figures in six of seven November games (15.4 ppg) as a Razorback.
Just 38 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career (Houston & Arkansas).
Reached double figures 12 times in 2013-14, including 10 times off the bench.
Averaged 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds over two NIT games to close last season.
#10 | Bobby PORTIS (F)
Named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50.
Scored 24 points in the season opener, the most in an opener by a Razorback since 2009.
Preseason All-SEC first team choice by the league coaches and media.
Broke the Arkansas freshman single-season rebound record with 230 boards in 2013-14.
Closed freshman season with back-to-back double-doubles in the NIT.

20/20 VISION
The inside-out tandem of sophomore BOBBY PORTIS and junior ANTHLON BELL became just the fourth Arkansas duo since 1981 (33 years) to each score 20 points in the season opener. Portis did his best impression of Bell’s outside shooting against Alabama State, hitting all three of his three-point attempts, while Bell was a perfect 4-for-4 from deep. Portis and Bell will look to become the first Arkansas duo to score 20 points each in the first two games to open a season, while Ronnie Brewer (2005) is the last Razorback to open the year with consecutive 20-point games.

2014     Bobby Portis (24) & Anthlon Bell (20)        vs. Alabama State
2009     Rotnei Clarke (51) & Jemal Farmer (28)     vs. Alcorn State
1991     Oliver Miller (23) & Lee Mayberry (20)       vs. Minnesota
1981     Darrell Walker (25) & Scott Hastings (24)   vs. Michigan

BELL IN BUNCHES
Known for his ability to score a bunch of points quickly, junior ANTHLON BELL enters Wednesday night with 71 points in his last 65 minutes on the floor at Bud Walton Arena. Bell has reached the 20-point plateau in each of the last three games at BWA, hitting 17-of-22 from three-point land over that span. The Memphis, Tenn. native is looking to become just the fourth player in program history to lead the team in threes in each of his first three seasons.

RISING EXPECTATIONS
Arkansas was tabbed to finish third in the SEC preseason poll by the media, returning eight players from last year’s team that went 22-12 overall and advanced to the second round of the NIT. The third place prediction is the program’s best since the SEC moved away from divisions in 2012 and the best since the Razorbacks were the favorite in the Western Division heading into the 2007-08 season.

Rankings Since 2012 (Non-Divisions)
2012 >>> 6th
2013 >>> 5th
2014 >>> 3rd

ALL-TIME SERIES
Wednesday will be the seventh meeting between the two programs and the third at Bud Walton Arena. Wake Forest has enjoyed its previous two trips to Fayetteville, taking both games behind eventual ACC Player of the Year Josh Howard. Out of the six meetings, five have been decided by six points or less while the road team has won all three games at an on-campus arena.

Wake Forest leads 4-2
Home: 0-2Away: 1-0
Neutral: 1-2

THIS DAY IN RAZORBACK HISTORY
Arkansas holds a 1-0 record on November 19, dating back to the start of the 1959-60 campaign. The lone game played on this date came in 2004 when the Razorbacks defeated Winthrop, 72-49, in the first game of the Paradise Jam.