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The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-7, 6-5 SEC) will put their five-game convention successful streak on the road once they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-8, 4-7 SEC) on Saturday inside Bud Walton Area.

Following a 15-point victory over the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Area on Tuesday, the Razorbacks moved off the bubble and as much as an 8-seed in Joe Lunardi’s most up-to-date bracketology.

The large storyline for Arkansas shall be if star freshman Nick Smith Jr. is ready to go well with up for the primary time since Dec. 17 in opposition to Bradley. Head coach Eric Musselman revealed Wednesday that Smith has began training with the staff.

“Nick has practiced the previous few days with us,” Mussleman mentioned. “Clearly he didn’t go on the street journey (to Kentucky) so he may proceed to remain again right here and work on his conditioning. We’re optimistic and hopeful that Nick will have the ability to play a while right here within the close to future.”

Rumors swirled all through the week that Smith may probably play in Saturday’s matchup, however no official announcement has been made by the staff as of the publishing of this story.

Winners of their final 4, the Bulldogs enter Saturday’s matchup as of the nation’s greatest defensive groups. Led by first yr head coach Chris Jans, Mississippi State won’t be a simple foe to face for the Hogs.

“They’re robust,” Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman mentioned. “They’re bodily. They create grind-it-out video games. They’re very nicely coached. They’re protection oriented. They will throw the ball inside six to 9 instances to Tolu Smith on straight post-ups, and so they’re an ideal offensive rebounding staff.”

Smith is the one Bulldog to common double-digit factors per sport this season. Standing at 6-feet-11-inches tall, he is averaging 14.7 factors, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest.

“Smith is only a laborious, laborious cowl as a result of he is a large physique,” Musselman mentioned. “He is a man that pulls free-throws tried. They do such an ideal job of making steals, and it is actually laborious to create a protection when there’s a excessive quantity of turnovers.

“It is laborious to give you a sport plan for a staff that is a excessive steal, excessive gamble staff. So, getting a shot on objective turns into paramount. Making an attempt to remove live-ball turnovers is extraordinarily essential as nicely.”

Mississippi State permits opponents to attain simply 58.5 factors per sport, which ranks Fifth nationally. Arkansas’ protection has performed close to the identical stage lately, because the Hogs have allowed their final six opponents to attain a median of 61.6 factors per sport.

Arkansas sits at No. 23 within the NET rankings and Mississippi State is No. 48, so the Hogs can have the possibility to spice up their resume with a Quad 2 win following Tuesday’s Quad 1 street victory over Kentucky.

Listed here are particulars on how one can watch/hear, notes, projected lineups, stats, odds and extra for Saturday’s sport between Arkansas and Mississippi State:

~ Arkansas and Mississippi State have met on 67 earlier events, and the Hogs maintain a slight 35-32 benefit all-time, in addition to a slight 30-28 benefit because the they joined the SEC.

~ Whereas the all-time sequence is tight, Arkansas holds a commanding 23-8 benefit over the Bulldogs in video games performed in Fayetteville, together with 22-7 in SEC video games.

~ Davonte Davis has scored in double figures a career-best nine-straight video games for Arkansas. Throughout that span, he has come alive from 3-point vary, hitting at a 44.6% clip in comparison with 23% throughout his earlier 81 profession video games.

~ Mississippi State’s protection is the one staff to rank contained in the nation’s high 10 in scoring protection (58.3 ppg, t-Fifth nationally), opponent discipline objective share (38.6%, seventh nationally) and steals (9.54 spg, seventh nationally).

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (17-7, 6-5 SEC) vs Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-8, 4-7 SEC)

When: Saturday, Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. CT

The place: Fayetteville, Ark. – Bud Walton Area (19,200) / Nolan Richardson Courtroom

Tv: ESPNU (Michael Eaves and Dane Bradshaw)

Stream/On-line: Watch ESPN

Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports activities Community (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)

Gameday Data and The right way to Pay attention On-line/Cellular: Razorback Gameday App

Sirius/XM: 137 (Sirius) / 190 (XM) || SXM App: Channel 961

#0 – G Anthony Black – Fr., 6’7″, 198 lbs.

2022-23 Stats per sport: 35.3 min, 12.8 factors, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 3.2 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 45.2 fg%, 30.3 3fg%

#1 – G Ricky Council IV – Jr., 6’6″, 205 lbs.

2022-23 Stats per sport: 35.3 min, 17.1 factors, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.4 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 46.1 fg%, 28.3 3fg%

#4 – G Davonte Davis – Jr., 6’4″, 185 lbs.

2022-23 Stats per sport: 33.4 min, 11.2 factors, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.2 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 41.7 fg%, 32.6 3fg%

#15 – F Makhi Mitchell – Sr., 6’9″, 230 lbs.

2022-23 Stats per sport: 20.3 min, 7.1 factors, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 1.4 blocks, 64.5 fg%, 100.0 3fg%

#22 – F Makhel Mitchell – Sr., 6’10”, 240 lbs.

2022-23 Stats per sport: 13.4 min, 4.06points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 turnovers, 1.7 blocks, 66.0 fg%

#10 – G Dashawn Davis – Sr., 6’2″, 195 lbs.

2022 Stats per sport: 28.7 min, 7.9 factors, 2.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 37.4 fg%, 39.0 3fg%

#3 – G Shakeel Moore – Jr., 6’1″, 190 lbs.

2022 Stats per sport: 23.9 min, 9.0 factors, 3.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.7 turnovers, 0.2 blocks, 41.0 fg%, 27.1 3fg%

#0 – F DJ Jefferies – Sr., 6’7″, 215 lbs.

2022 Stats per sport: 30.6 min, 9.2 factors, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 33.6 fg%, 28.0 3fg%

#4 – F Cameron Matthews – Jr., 6’7″, 225 lbs.

2022 Stats per sport: 25.6 min, 6.8 factors, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.4 turnovers, 0.8 blocks, 46.9 fg%, 14.3 3fg%

#1 – F Tolu Smith – R-Sr., 6’11”, 245 lbs.

2022 Stats per sport: 26.2 min, 14.7 factors, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.4 turnovers, 0.8 blocks, 58.4 fg%

Vegas: Arkansas is a 7-point favourite (BetSaracen)

ESPN: Arkansas has 78.5% probability to win

(some data courtesy of Arkansas and Mississippi State Communications)

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