Pumping Up the crowd at Regionals
FAYETTEVILLE – With three games left in the regular season, Arkansas will play its next two games on the road starting Saturday (Feb. 25) at #2 Alabama. Tipoff is set for 1 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be the 68th meeting between Arkansas and Alabama. All but 10 have come since Arkansas joined the SEC. The Razorbacks own a 36-31 advantage in the series, including a slight 29-28 margin in SEC meetings. The home team has dominated the series. Arkansas is 20-7 versus Alabama in Fayetteville but the Crimson Tide is 22-8 in games played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has won three of the last four, but Arkansas has won 8 of the last 12.
Earlier this year, then #4 Alabama pulled away late to defeat then #15 Ar- kansas, 84-69. Arkansas was down two, 65-63, after a Jalen Graham basket with 4:54 left before Alabama went on a 13-0 run. The game was tied at 36 at halftime. In the second half, Bama drained 7-of-10 from 3-point range and was 14-of-17 at the free throw line. On the other end, Ar
kansas was 2-of-7 from deep and 4-of-5 at the line. Arkansas is one of 12 teams in the NCAA that rank among the NCAA top 50 in both FG% and FG% Defense. The Razorbacks rank 15th in the NCAA in FG% and #42 in FG% Defense.
Over the last 12 games, Arkansas has shot at least 44% from the field 12 times. With its recent success, Arkansas leads the SEC (and ranks 15th in the NCAA) in field goal percentage at 48.6%.
In SEC games, Arkansas leads the league in FG% (.477). At its current rate, Arkansas’s SEC FG% of .477 would rank 5thbest in school history and best in SEC play since shooting a school-record 49.7% in 1993. Arkansas is the only SEC team to play each of its final three road games at the current top three teams in the SEC standings. The Hogs’ last road game was at Texas A&M (2/15) and the Hogs’ next two games are at Alabama (2/25) and at Tennessee (2/28).