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Opponent: Ole Miss Rebels
Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 7:30pm
Place: Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville, Arkansas
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
All-Time Series: Arkansas leads 49-33
All-Time Series at Arkansas: Arkansas leads 16-11
The Rebels 8-6 (3-4)
The natives were getting a little restless at Kermit Davis just 10 days ago when they lost to Georgia at home. The Rebels were 1-4 in conference play and just 6-6 on the season. They bounced back by beating Mississippi State by 18 on the road and Texas A&M at home. The win over MSU was surprising!
The Rebels are led by 4 upperclassmen. The seniors are Devontae Shuler and Jarkell Joiner. Shuler averages 14.9 points to lead the team. Joiner, a transfer from Cal-State Bakersfield, averages 10.9 points.
Arizona State transfer Romello White was big news for the Rebels. He’s posted 10.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game this year.
Ole Miss is going to slow the game down. They rank 278th in Adjusted Tempo. They’ll run some zone and really pressure the guards.
The keys for Ole Miss will be to get hot shooting the ball. That won’t be easy though. Ole Miss ranks 305th in 3 point percentage. The team is shooting just 29.6% from beyond the arc. They also cannot allow Arkansas to heat up from 3. Teams have shot 35.5% against them this season from 3.
Ole Miss must pressure the point guard and hit shots. It is as simple as that.
The Razorbacks 12-4 (4-4)
Arkansas has won 6 out of 7 and 8 out of 11 against Ole Miss. The recent success against the Rebels has come after some droughts this century.
The Hogs seem to be back on track! It’s important that we understand that Vanderbilt was without some key players and looked like they didn’t want to be on the court. Arkansas still did what they should do. Be happy about that, but that doesn’t mean every problem is solved with this team.
They’ll be tested tonight. Some of the things that have been an issue will be tested. Ole Miss is a very tough defensive team. They’ll get in your face.
Arkansas has struggled at the point guard position when another team really pressures that spot. I think we see Ole Miss do that tonight. Jalen Tate has to be better in those positions. He is late getting the ball where it needs to go in these type of games. Don’t over dribble, move the ball, and get to the basket. Those are the keys to scoring on Ole Miss tonight.
Prediction
The Ole Miss defense will slow down Arkansas, but their offense is not good. Devontae Shuler will have to have a monster game. The Hogs have enough ability on defense to slow him down. I’ll take the Hogs at home.