FAYETTEVILLE – After cracking into the AP top 25 for the first time in three seasons, the 22nd-ranked Arkansas men’s basketball team (11-2, 1-0) hits the road for the first time in conference play, traveling to Starkville, Mississippi, where the Hogs will take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs for an 8 p.m. CT tip in Humphrey Coliseum.
The Rundown
Opponent: Mississippi State Bulldogs (12-1, 0-0)
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 2
Site: Humphrey Coliseum (Starkville, Miss.)
Tip-off: 8 p.m.CT
TV: SEC Network | WatchESPN
Live Stats: Click Here
The #Fastest40 Facts
• Arkansas debuted in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday for the first time since March 2015, checking in at No. 22.
• The Razorbacks have a 396-111 record all-time as a ranked program, including a 5-2 mark under head coach Mike Anderson in SEC road games.
• Daryl Macon was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday, joining current assistant coach Scotty
Thurman as the only Razorback players to ever earn the award twice in a three-week span.
• Dating back to 2015-16, Arkansas is 8-3 in its last 11 SEC road games, including a 6-3 mark last season.
• Following Saturday’s win at Tennessee, Arkansas’ RPI jumped from No. 15 to No. 4 according to the NCAA, while its strength of schedule is at No. 16 in the nation.
• The Razorbacks have two AP top-20 wins in the last five games and multiple top-20 wins in the same season for the third time under Coach Anderson.
• During the last four seasons, Arkansas ranks second in the SEC in league wins with 35. Mississippi State ranks 12th in the conference with 19 victories.
• For the first time since the National Championship run in 1994, Arkansas has scored 90-plus points in nine of its first 13 games.
• Arkansas is one of three teams in the nation to rank in the top 10 in points per game and assist-to-turnover ratio, joining No. 4 Duke and No. 25 Creighton.
• The Razorbacks lead the SEC and rank No. 9 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio thanks to 115 assists and just 50 turnovers in the last six games.
A Win Would
• Give Arkansas a seven-game winning streak in five of seven years under Coach Anderson.
• Send Arkansas to a 2-0 start in SEC play for the second time in the Mike Anderson era and the sixth time since joining the league 27 seasons ago.
• Give Arkansas a victory in its SEC road opener for the third time in the last four years.
The Best Guards In The Nation
• In the upset win against No. 19 Tennessee, Daryl Macon’s 33 points and Jaylen Barford’s 28 points marked the first time Arkansas has had two 28-point scorers in an SEC game.
• Against current AP Top 25 teams, Barford (22.7) and Macon (22.3) have combined to average 45.0 points per game in three contests.
• Barford is the only player in the SEC to rank in the top three in points per game (3rd) and field goal percentage (3rd).
• Against Tennessee, Daryl Macon became one of six players in program history to record multiple 30-point games against SEC opponents.
