Razorbacks-Crimson Tide Preview 2012/01/28 at 6:53 pm
Razorbacks-Crimson Tide
Preview
GAME NOTES: Alabama hopes to halt its season-long, four-game losing streak when the Crimson Tide welcome the Arkansas Razorbacks to Tuscaloosa for this afternoons SEC showdown.
Arkansas has put together an impressive resume so far this season by winning 75 percent of its games and tallying impressive victories over nationally- ranked foes in Mississippi State and Michigan. The Razorbacks have won three of their last four, the most recent of which being a 56-53 decision over Auburn on Wednesday.
Alabamas recent slide has come on the heels of an outstanding 13-3 start. The Crimson Tide fell to 2-4 in SEC action after suffering a heart-breaking loss to the slumping South Carolina Gamecocks on Wednesday night, 56-54.
Arkansas holds a slim lead in the all-time series with Alabama, 28-24, with the teams having played to an even split in each of the past four seasons. Alabama came out on top in the last meeting, 69-56, last February.
On the season, Arkansas has one of the SECs best scoring offenses (75.6 ppg), but also one of its worst scoring defenses (66.5 ppg). In Wednesdays win however, the script was flipped as the Razorbacks made good on a pitiful 19- of-54 field goal attempts, but managed to overcome it by forcing 21 Auburn turnovers and holding them to 53 points on 40.4 percent shooting — the Hogs best defensive effort in an SEC game so far. Arkansas had three players reach double figures in the win, led by BJ Ryans 11 points. The freshman averages 14.6 ppg to lead the team and has now scored at least 10 points in all but four games this year. Mardracus Wade contributes 10.8 ppg and is one of the leagues most prolific three-point shooters, knocking down two treys per game at a 48.1 percent clip. The Razorbacks aggressive defensive style yields too many points at times, but they lead the conference in steals per game (8.8), which helps contribute to their plus-4.47 turnover margin, also a league-best.
Though Alabama has one of the most stout defenses in the country, yielding a mere 57.5 ppg on 37.3 percent shooting, its offense has not given the team much support lately. The Crimson Tide have scored just 59 ppg during its current slide, culminating in Wednesdays loss to South Carolina where they shot just 42.9 percent from the field and 4-of-18 from beyond the arc. JaMychal Green has had a solid year, netting 13.7 ppg on 54.3 percent shooting from the field, but he scored just six points in the recent setback and missed much of the second half due an apparent ankle injury. He was able to return late in the game but missed the potential game-tying bucket in the final seconds. Tony Mitchell adds 13.2 ppg for the Tide and lands in the top-10 in the SEC in rebounding with 7.2 ppg. Trevor Releford rounds out the units double-digit scorers with 12.2 ppg, while also handing out a team-high three assists per game. Alabamas offensive game plan tends to dismiss the three- pointer as they have hit a league-low 76 treys on an uninspired 28 percent shooting effort.
While their performance on the court has been unquestioned, the Razorbacks have surely been aided by an unbalanced schedule as they have played 16 of 20 games at home. Arkansas winless road mark leaves the door open for Bama to get back on track.