Arkansas Razorbacks: 25-9, 12-6 in the SEC
Head coach: Mike Anderson (6th season)
Players to watch: Dusty Hannahs (14.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.2 APG); Daryl Macon (13.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG); Moses Kingsley (11.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.6 BPG)
Season recap: The Razorbacks very much had an up-and-down season—although it dominated its out-of-conference schedule, Arkansas has faltered against other top SEC teams. After an 11-1 start to the season, the Razorbacks lost three of its first four SEC games, although two of those were against Florida and Kentucky.
With quality road wins against then-No. 21 South Carolina and Vanderbilt and a trip to the SEC tournament championship game, Arkansas now looks like a legitimate threat. Despite their 82-65 loss to the Wildcats in the title game, the Razorbacks showed flashes of aggressive offense and ability to get to the free throw line. Even though the team does rank 22nd in the country in free throws made, it also allows its opponents to get to the stripe often—the Razorbacks ranks 294th in the country with an average of 20.5 fouls per game. If Moses Kingsley gets into foul trouble, Anderson lacks another forward at his level that can control the low block.
How they make a run: Arkansas has the ability to match up with top seeds if it gets to the free throw line and gets its opponents into foul trouble. With Hannahs and Macon shooting 90.3 and 87.6 percent, respectively, from the charity stripe, the shots truly are free as easy points push the Razorbacks deep into the tournament.
How they falter: The Razorbacks exit the tournament early as Kingsley gets into foul trouble, leaving his team completely exposed in the interior as Hannahs and Macon can’t hit enough 3-pointers to keep Arkansas afloat.
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