FAYETTEVILLE — Just a few days after getting blasted by the No. 1 team in the country, the Razorbacks found themselves in a dogfight in Arkansas vs Ole Miss, their SEC home opener.
Despite racing out to an early 10-1 lead, the Razorbacks struggled down the stretch and headed into the break tied 33-33 with the No. 23 Rebels. It was an encouraging start for a team that was already getting blown out at halftime of its last game, and was also good to see Johnell Davis leading the way with 11 points after his scoreless outing in Knoxville. Despite the promising start, Arkansas went dreadfully cold from the arc in the second half and gave up way too many easy baskets, ultimately falling 73-66.
Also disturbing was the late-arriving crowd inside Bud Walton Arena. It’ll officially be announced as a sellout, but several hundred tickets were still available on the UA website about an hour before tipoff (not to mention secondary sites like SeatGeek and StubHub) and quite a few seats were open – in the lower bowl and upper deck – even as the arena filled in midway through the first half.
Small crowds were an issue for several of the Razorbacks’ non-conference games, but it wasn’t expected to continue into conference play, especially with a top-25 team in town for the SEC home opener.
Perhaps some stayed at home because of frigid temperatures in Northwest Arkansas and the impending snow storm, but at the same time, the game is indoors and the snow isn’t expected to move into the area until late tomorrow afternoon. The 6 p.m. start on a weeknight never helps either, but some were still disappointed in the showing:
As it usually does, though, the crowd that did make it to the game got loud on several occasions.
They’ll need to get loud way more consistently on Saturday when No. 8 Florida, which just blasted No. 1 Tennessee by 30 points, comes to town. Arkansas now sits at 0-2 in SEC play and is looking at conference slate that has essentially no let-up in the coming weeks.
“When you look at the remaining schedule, any time you go 0-2 in league play there’s a little sense of panic,” SEC Network commentator Dane Bradshaw said in the waning seconds of Arkansas vs Ole Miss. But that’s where the leadership and experience of Coach Cal and his staff are gonna have to step in.”
Bradshaw, however, expressed concern from who serve as the on-court leader. “When I look at Arkansas, I’m not really sure who the alpha dog is in the locker room and the voice. It seems like you have some quiet guys – it’s doesn’t mean they’re not great teammates – but I’m not really sure who that voice and leader in the locker room to hold things together is.”
See our post-game feature:
Read stats and highlights from the matchup below:
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs Ole Miss
Pregame Tidbits
Zvonimir Ivisic was listed as questionable on the initial SEC availability report, but he wasn’t included on the updated report posted two hours before tipoff, so he’ll presumably be available. He’s participating in pregame warmups.
13:42, 1H – Arkansas 10, Ole Miss 5
The Hogs jumped out to a 10-1 lead, but a couple of turnovers – and no-calls on potential fouls against Thiero – have allowed the Rebels to get back into it. They’ll also be shooting free throws when play resumes.
9:24, 1H – Arkansas 20, Ole Miss 13
After going scoreless against Tennessee, Johnell Davis has knocked down a couple of 3s – first from the right wing and then from the left wing – within his first four minutes on the floor tonight. As a team, the Hogs are 8 of 15 from the floor and 3 of 6 from deep.
8:00, 1H – Arkansas 24, Ole Miss 16
Davis is up to 8 points after making a layup on a feed from Fland. In another positive sign for the Hogs, they’re currently out-rebounding Ole Miss 12-9. The Hogs were minus-22 on the boards against Tennessee.
3:01, 1H – Arkansas 29, Ole Miss 26
The Hogs had a chance to go up by 10, but Thiero went for a huge dunk and wasn’t able to finish it. It led to a layup on the other end and then Ole Miss knocked down a 3 after getting a stop. That makes it a 3-point game at the U4 media timeout, but Thiero will be shooting free throws when play resumes.
HALF — Arkansas 33, Ole Miss 33
Thanks to some lackadaisical play and poor free throw shooting by Arkansas, Ole Miss managed to completely erase its deficit and tie it up on a 3 by Pedulla with about 31 seconds left in the half. The Hogs called a timeout with 22.7 seconds left to draw up a last play, but Fland’s shot was blocked on a drive to the basket. Arkansas led for more than 18 minutes in the first half, but head to the break tied with the Rebels.
HALFTIME STATS
17:40, 2H – Ole Miss 42, Arkansas 37
The Rebels have come out firing in the second half. They scored on the opening possession and then knocked down back-to-back 3s. It’s the first time they’ve led all game.
15:26, 2H – Ole Miss 45, Arkansas 40
It hasn’t been a great start to the half for Arkansas. Worth noting that the Hogs are just 4 of 9 from the free throw line. Dia is up to 13 points and 5 rebounds for Ole Miss.
11:57, 2H – Ole Miss 52, Arkansas 45
Ole Miss stretched its lead to 10 a couple of times, but a three-point play by Thiero got the crowd on its feet and then the Hogs got a defensive stop. Fland was fouled in the backcourt to send us to the media timeout. Fouls from here on will lead to free throws, as both teams have committed six in a more physical second half.
8:30, 2H – Ole Miss 61, Arkansas 50
The Hogs have leaned on Thiero as they try to mount a comeback and he’s made some great plays, bringing the crowd to its feet. However, Ole Miss has answered the bell. It’s worth noting that since starting the game 4 of 7 from deep, Arkansas has missed 10 straight 3s – the second straight game its had such a stretch.
3:38, 2H – Ole Miss 67, Arkansas 60
Fans started streaming toward the exits when Ole Miss scored to go up 11 and Calipari called a timeout, but the Hogs have since answered with back-to-back buckets and are within striking distance. After some bad shot selection and ball movement, they’ve started getting better looks recently.
FINAL — Ole Miss 73, Arkansas 66
The Hogs got within 6 and had the ball with a chance to cut into the deficit even more, but Fland missed a deep 3 late in the shot clock and Ole Miss answered with a 3 by Dia. That was the dagger.
FINAL STATS
Starting Lineups
| Ole Miss Basketball | Arkansas Basketball |
|---|---|
| #3 – Sean Pedulla – G | #2 – Boogie Fland – G |
| #7 – Davon Barnes – G | #21 – DJ Wagner – G |
| #11 – Matthew Murrell – G | #3 – Adou Thiero – F |
| #14 – Dre Davis – G | #11 – Karter Knox – F |
| #0 – Malik Dia – F | #9 – Jonas Aidoo – F |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Ole Miss
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 8
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV: 6 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
ESPN BPI: Arkansas has a 54.1% chance to win and is favored to win by 1.0 point.
KenPom: Arkansas has a 56% chance to win, with a projected score of 75-73.
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -3.5 | O/U 148.5 (BetSaracen)
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