Georgia vs. Arkansas: SEC Men’s Basketball Preview

Arkansas host Georgia in this unranked SEC matchup. What’s important about this game is that both teams are in the bottom half of the SEC standings.

The Bulldogs are 1-5 in conference play compared to the Razorbacks 2-4 in conference play. This means that any win from here on out would help their rise in the rankings before the SEC tournament.

Arkansas Has Had a Rough Couple of Games

The 11-8 overall Razorbacks had a strong start to the 2018-19 season. After losing to Texas in the first game of the year, Arkansas had a six-game win streak. However, those wins came at the cost of playing against four out of six teams who aren’t in power five conferences.

The winning streak ended when the Razorbacks came up short against Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Since then, they’ve lost five of their last six and have gone 5-7 in their last 12 games.

Although, the Razorbacks had one of their best games of the year last time out against Texas Tech in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Even with a close loss, the Razorbacks lost by three against the #16 team in the nation. The Red Raiders backcourt has been a big deal this entire season due to Jarrett Culver and Matt Mooney. However, Razorbacks guards Jalen Harris and Mason Jones both supplied 11 points to keep their team in the game.

Their young stud Daniel Gafford scored 14 and racked up 4 rebounds in their best outlook on the year so far. The sophomore has averaged 16 points a game and almost 10 rebounds per match. He’s a big man who dominates the paint at all costs and takes efficient shots from the floor with a 65.9 FG percentage.

Daniel Gafford named to Sporting News Midseason All-American team. @Dan_G33 @sportingnews pic.twitter.com/sluRq9L6uh

— Razorback Basketball (@RazorbackMBB) January 15, 2019

Head coach Mike Anderson emphasizes specific key issues that the team needs to work on. He mentions that they must get the ball to Gafford in the right moments, even if he gets double teamed that they should kick the ball out and knock down appropriate shots.

Florida beat Arkansas early in conference play but are only one game ahead of the Razorbacks in conference play.

Plus, the last time that the Razorbacks faced the Bulldogs, Arkansas came out on top 80-77 last season.

Georgia is Slumped but on the Right Track

With only one win in the SEC, Georgia remains two slots ahead of Vanderbilt, the worst team in the conference.

The Bulldogs just came off an impressive win against Big 12 powerhouse Texas 98-88. However, the SEC failed to win the SEC/Big 12 Challenge for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

They dominated Texas with record-breaking efficient shooting from the field. According to the red&black.com, Georgia posted the fourth-highest single-game field-goal percentage in 114 years of basketball at 66.7 percent.

#ICYMI: @UGABasketball picks up 98-88 win over Texas in #SECBig12 Challenge.

➡️https://t.co/OM5E6MY0ET pic.twitter.com/v7I531D0iT

— Georgia Bulldogs (@UGAAthletics) January 27, 2019

The Bulldogs best players are Rayshaun Hammonds and Nicolas Claxton. They combine 25 points per game for the squad on almost 50.5 field goal percentage.

Furthermore, Georgia’s only win against the SEC this year was back when they beat Vanderbilt 82-63. Their worst loss of the season came against the current number one team in the nation, Tennessee Volunteers when they lost by 46 points.

Where to Watch

ESPNU will broadcast the game, tip-off is at 7:00 PM.