Arkansas Razorbacks 79, Auburn Tigers 68: Stride

Arkansas won again.

Left for dead after losing to Missouri and Vanderbilt a couple of weeks ago and speculating on Mike Anderson’s job security, the Razorbacks have won five in a row - including three on the road - and maybe just punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. At the very least, they’re on the precipice of it.

The Razorbacks are now 6-2 on the road in the SEC, matching their road win total in conference in 2015. The Hogs have never won seven road games in the league, and they’ll have to really earn it with only a trip to Gainesville remaining.

Arkansas didn’t have every advantage in this game. Moses Kingsley only played 15 minutes due to foul trouble. Auburn was in the bonus much of the second half. But Trey Thompson did a great job of doing Moses’ dirty work by grabbing 11 rebounds - a career high. Arkansas also shot 50% for the game compared to Auburn’s 37.1%, and the Tigers didn’t take advantage of being in the bonus, making just 12 of their 23 free throws.

Jaylen Barford led the way for the Hogs, scoring 20 points in 32 minutes. Dusty Hannahs scored 18 and Daryl Macon scored 13.

Auburn was never closer than 6 points in the second half. The last time they got that close, Thompson scored on a tip-in off an Arkansas miss with 4:34 to go, and then the Hogs made free throws the rest of the way.

Ever since the second half against LSU two weeks ago, Arkansas has consistently played pretty good basketball. It feels like they’re hitting their stride at the right time. Of course, one of their toughest games of the season is on Wednesday at Florida, so we’ll get a chance to see just how good they’re playing.

Arkansas is also a win or a Vanderbilt loss from locking up one of the top four seeds in the SEC Tournament. As of tonight, the Razorbacks are still in the 3rd slot thanks to their tiebreaker over South Carolina.

How far do you think this team can go?