PREVIEW AND GAMETHREAD: Hogs and Hoosiers

Time: 2:30 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN/WatchESPN

Line: Indiana -3.5; O/U: 149.5

Location: Bud Walton Arena

It’s Arkansas’ biggest game of the non conference slate, and potentially the biggest crowd of the year at Bud Walton. The Hogs and Hoosiers each have a likely lottery pick in this one and Arkansas has a shot at pulling an upset on a team that has been firing on all cylinders early on.

After blasting two mid majors, Indiana dismantled a ranked Marquette team by 23. They were led by Freshman sensation Romeo Langford. He had 22 and 5 boards against the Golden Eagles. While he hasn’t been shooting well from deep, Indiana has a couple of guys in Rob Phinisee and Evan Fitzner who can light it up from deep. It will be a unique challenge for the guards to stop a variety of different players.

Where Indiana has been elite so far, is getting into the paint and converting. That is also where the Hogs have been their strongest at the defensive end. The key to the game and the most interesting battle will be how Arkansas defends the paint. It will be worth taking note of not just how many shots Daniel Gafford blocks, but how many his presence will alter, even if he doesn’t get a hand on it. Both sides have been very strong defensively so far, so for the Hogs, they will need to keep that up and get some balanced scoring, much like in their win over UC Davis.