No. 15 Arkansas vs. No. 4 Alabama Preview
Two of the top teams in the SEC square off Wednesday night. No. 15 Arkansas will host No. 4 Alabama in one of the prime conference matchups of this season.
These programs are very similar. Eric Musselman and Nate Oats are two of the more popular coaches in college basketball and coach two very high octane basketball teams that love to run up and down the court.
Alabama is fresh off an impressive 78-52 victory over Kentucky. The Wildcats were once the cream of the crop in the SEC, but the Tide embarrassed John Calipari’s squad. After that loss rumors are now swirling that Calipari will bolt to Texas.
Oats’ team is balanced and is led by multiple players that are under consideration for SEC player of the year. freshman Brandon Miller adds a presence down low and plenty of scoring ability in the front court. Miller is averaging 19.1 points with 8.5 rebounds.
However, the engine that makes this team run is junior Mark Sears that transferred to Alabama from the University of Ohio. Sears had 16 points along with six steals in the blowout victory over Kentucky.
The Tide have had a ton of marquee wins on their way to becoming the fourth ranked team in the nation. During out of conference play, Alabama was able to knock off previously ranked No.12 Michigan State, No.1 North Carolina and No.1 Houston.
Oats has been able to secure multiple program defining wins before the start of the new year. Their only losses have come to No. 20 UConn and No. 15 Gonzaga. The Tide has had an absolute gauntlet of a schedule.
When these two teams square off expect a high scoring affair. Arkansas and Alabama love to push the tempo and get out in transition. Musselmen’s teams have been defined by the ability to score at will.
Arkansas, much like Alabama, have had a terrific season. The Razorbacks haven't had as tough of a schedule as the Tide, but Musselmen still has his team within the top 15.
However, while Alabama is arguably playing their best basketball heading into this top 15 showdown, Arkansas has lost two out of their last three games. That includes a blowout loss against Auburn in their last game.
The leader for the Razorbacks is Ricky Council IV, who leads the team in points with 18.1 on 47.1 percent shooting. Council, like most of the stars that have played under Musselmen, is from the transfer portal. Council spent his first two seasons of his college career at Wichita State.
While both teams are elite offensively, Arkansas has the edge when it comes to the defensive metrics. The Razorback is in the top seven for adjusted defensive efficiency. It will need to be a balanced effort from Arkansas, and they will have to control the tempo to pull off the upset over the number four team in the country.
Aidan Torok is a third-year majoring in telecommunications and minoring in broadcast journalism and political science. To contact him, email ajt6051@psu.edu.
