MBB Preview: Arkansas at Kentucky

March 1, 2024

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (14-14, 5-10 SEC) at #16/15 Kentucky Wildcats (20-8, 10-5 SEC)
What: Arkansas lost, 63-57, to the Wildcats earlier this season in Bud Walton Arena, but has won each of the last two meetings at Kentucky.
When: Saturday – Mar. 2 – 1:30 pm (ET) / 12:30 pm (CT)
Where: Lexington, Ky. • Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center – Cawood’s Court (20,500)
How (to follow):
– TV/Stream: CBS/CBS Sports Mobile (Brad Nessler and Jay Wright)
– Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Sirius/XM: 385 Sirius / 385 XM / 374 SXM App
– Kentucky Live Stats
– Razorback Gameday App

– Arkansas Game Notes
– Kentucky Game Notes
– SEC Notes/Stats

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas and Kentucky will square off for the second time this season when the Razorbacks and #16/15 Wildcats meet on Saturday (Mar. 2). Tipoff is set for 1:30 pm (ET) / 12:30 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on CBS.

After Kentucky, Arkansas has two regular-season games remaining on the schedule including its final home game of the season on Mar. 6 versus LSU and a trip to Alabama on Mar. 9.

NOTES:

Arkansas and Kentucky have met on 49 previous occasions, all but four coming since Arkansas joined the SEC (1991-92). Kentucky owns a 35-14 advantage in the series, including a 31-14 mark in SEC games. While Arkansas has won two straight in Rupp Arena, Kentucky owns a 15-5 advantage all-time in games played in Lexington. Kentucky has won two straight in the series with both wins coming in Bud Walton Arena.
This is the second of two meetings between the programs this season and the second straight season the two teams play twice in a season. This is just the third time since Arkansas joined the SEC that the Razorbacks and Wildcats face each other twice in the regular season.
In the first meeting this season, Makhi Mitchell had a double-double (12 points and 13 rebounds) and Arkansas out-rebounding Kentucky, 44-39, but the then #6 Wildcats used an 8-0 run late in the game to secure a 63-57 victory. Arkansas led at halftime, as well as seven minutes into the second half, and was down just one with 2:54 left to play before the 8-0 run. Antonio Reeves started the surge with a 3-pointer, D.J. Wagner followed with a layup and Reed Sheppard capped the run with a 3-pointer with 1:27 left. The last two baskets for the Wildcats came from Razorback turnovers.
Over the last six games, the Razorbacks held their opponents to a combined 22-of-85 (25.9%) from 3-point range. (NOTE: In Muss’ first year at Arkansas (2019-20), the Hogs led the NCAA in 3PT% defense at 27.2%.). With that, Arkansas has jumped 81 spots in the NCAA rankings in four games to 221st in 3-point percentage defense (34.1%).
Khalif Battle scored 42 points in the win over Missouri and 36 the next time out versus Vanderbilt. The 78 points in back-to-back games rank second in UA history to Martin Terry, who scored 82 in back-to-back games (35 at TCU and 47 vs SMU in Feb. 1973.). If Battle were to score at least 30 points at Kentucky, he would join Mason Jones as the only Razorbacks to score 30-plus in three straight games. Jones, en route to being named AP SEC Player of the Year in 2020, scored 34 versus South Carolina, 30 at Alabama and 40 versus Auburn

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.