Arkansas will begin SEC play as a heavy underdog at No. 1 Tennessee on Saturday.
Whether you look at sportsbooks or various metrics, the No. 23 Razorbacks are projected to lose to the Volunteers by double-figures when the square off at noon CT inside Thompson-Boling Arena.
John Calipari will be looking for an X-factor to swing things his way and he might just have one in an ultra-motivated Jonas Aidoo returning to Knoxville, Tenn., to face his former team.
Even without the extra motivation he’s sure to have Saturday, Aidoo has proven to be a critical piece for the Razorbacks when healthy, looking like the guy who earned second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive Team honors with the Volunteers last season.
He was limited to 6 points and 2 rebounds in just 16 minutes against Oakland because of an illness, but that followed up his first double-double of the season against North Carolina A&T, when he had 17 points and 11 rebounds (plus 3 blocks).
That game is also notable because Aidoo attempted his first 3-pointer of the season, missing from the top of the key. Asked about the shot during a postgame interview on the SEC Network-Plus broadcast, he revealed he’d been working on the shot in practice and essentially vowed to take more later in the season.
Assistant coach Kenny Payne told reporters this week that was, in fact, a goal of theirs when Aidoo committed to Arkansas, but he didn’t take any in his somewhat limited action against Oakland — and Arkansas basketball fans probably wouldn’t mind keeping that on the backburner.
After all, Aidoo is really good inside the arc and around the basket. Plus, his teammates seem to be handling the outside shooting just fine.
Even though they’re taking the third-fewest attempts (21.9 per game), the Razorbacks have the third-best 3-point percentage in the SEC at 36.8%. That’s impressive considering they started the year just 9 of 39 (23.1%) over their first two games, not to mention the miserable shooting in the two exhibition games. Since then, Arkansas is shooting 39.0%, which would be top-20 nationally.
Several different players are contributing to that, too. Zvonimir Ivisic (45.5%, 3.7 att.), D.J. Wagner (41.3%, 3.5 att.), Boogie Fland (40.3%, 5.2 att.) and Johnell Davis (38.8%, 4.5 att.) are each shooting better than 38% on more than three attempts per game. Even Karter Knox is starting to see his shot fall after a miserable start to the season from beyond the arc, going 10 for 24 (41.7%) over the last eight games.
With those guys shooting so well, there really isn’t any need for Aidoo to try to get in on the action. Instead, many fans would probably prefer he just focus on what he does best, serving as Arkansas’ top physical presence in the front court.
Follow along below for updates, stats and highlights from the Arkansas vs Tennessee matchup on Saturday…
(READ NEXT: Check out our in-depth preview of the top-25 showdown.)
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs Tennessee
Pregame Tidbits
On the first SEC availability report of the season, Johnell Davis was listed as “probable” for the Arkansas vs Tennessee game. He has missed the Razorbacks’ last two games as he continues to rest his wrist, which was injured during the offseason. A final availability report will be released two hours prior to tipoff, so 10 a.m. CT.
15:39, 1H – Arkansas 10, Tennessee 9
DJ Wagner has been great for the Hogs early on, scoring their first 7 points, including knocking down a corner 3. Karter Knox is the only other Hog to score so far, as he also knocked down a 3, continuing his recent hot shooting. The Vols, meanwhile, have been getting to the basket for easy buckets, leading to a 4-of-6 start from the floor. Arkansas is 4 of 5, but has also committed three turnovers.
11:10, 1H – Tennessee 19, Arkansas 12
The Vols have amped up their defensive pressure after the hot start by Arkansas has has held the Hogs scoreless for more than 3 minutes. Meanwhile, they’ve stayed hot and are on an 11-0 run. A 3 by Lanier – who already has 10 points – prompted a timeout by Calipari. The Hogs have committed six turnovers and five fouls.
7:43, 1H – Tennessee 21, Arkansas 13
Tennessee stretched its lead to 9 as Arkansas was held scoreless for 6:11 before Wagner knocked down 1 of 2 free throws. It has gone nearly seven minutes without a field goal. The Hogs’ defense has kept this from getting too out of hand so far. Six of the Vols’ 13 missed shots have been blocked.
3:24, 1H – Tennessee 35, Arkansas 20
The Hogs are in danger of getting run out of the gym. They finally ended their lengthy drought without a field goal, but they still aren’t connecting at a high rate. Since Fland knocked one down to cut the deficit to 7, the Hogs have missed four straight 3s. Meanwhile, Tennessee – specifically Zeigler – has made two. The Hogs are also getting absolutely whipped on the glass. It’s 25-9 in favor of the Vols, with them grabbing 13 offensive boards to only six defensive boards for Arkansas.
HALF – Tennessee 42, Arkansas 27
It was an ugly first half for the Hogs, who committed nine turnovers, shot just 41.7% from the floor with lengthy droughts and got dominated on the boards 27-12.
HALFTIME STATS
15:04, 2H – Tennessee 48, Arkansas 32
It hasn’t been much better for Arkansas in the second half. Lanier has been nearly unstoppable for Tennessee, as he’s already got 20 points after knocking down a couple of 3s in the last few minutes. Arkansas is just 2 of 7 from the floor this half, including three misses from beyond the arc.
11:29, 2H – Tennessee 54, Arkansas 40
The Hogs are showing a little bit of fight. Adou Thiero just jumped in front of a pass and took it all the way for a dunk over a Tennessee defender, pulling Arkansas within 14. Prior to that, the Hogs actually got within 13, but Milicic answered by knocking down a wide open 3.
8:37, 2H – Tennessee 58, Arkansas 42
It’s been a much better effort for Arkansas in the second half, but it’s not really reflected in the score. It’d help if the Hogs actually made a 3, but they’ve missed all nine of their attempts after halftime.
3:48, 2H – Tennessee 68, Arkansas 47
This one is over. The Volunteers are starting to pull away as they continue to dominate the boards and get second-chance points, usually via 3-pointers. Lanier is up to 27 points for Tennessee, while Milicic has grabbed 16 rebounds for the Vols.
FINAL – Tennessee 76, Arkansas 52
FINAL STATS
Projected Starting Lineups
| Tennessee Basketball | Arkansas Basketball |
|---|---|
| #2 – Chaz Lanier – G | #2 – Boogie Fland – G |
| #5 – Zakai Zeigler – G | #21 – D.J. Wagner – G |
| #15 – Jahmai Mashack – G | #11 – Karter Knox – F |
| #7 – Igor Milicic Jr. – F | #3 – Adou Thiero – F |
| #34 – Felix Okpara – F | #9 – Jonas Aidoo – F |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Tennessee
Date: Saturday, Jan. 4
Location: Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Tipoff Time/TV: Noon CT (ESPN)
ESPN BPI: Tennessee has an 88.0% chance to win and is favored by 12.4 points.
KenPom: Tennessee has an 87% chance to win and is projected to win 76-64.
Betting Line/Odds: Tennessee, -12.5 | O/U 143.5 (BetSaracen)
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