Arkansas’ season was going nowhere fast when it lost its first five Southeastern Conference contests.
But the feeling is much different after three wins in four games. The Razorbacks will face another upset opportunity on Saturday night when they battle No. 3 Alabama at Fayetteville, Ark.
The Crimson Tide (19-3, 8-1 SEC) are soaring with five consecutive victories and 13 wins in their last 14 games, so they rank as a formidable foe.
But Arkansas (14-8, 3-6) delivered a big message when coach John Calipari returned to Kentucky and engineered an 89-79 upset of the then-No. 12 Wildcats last Saturday.
The Razorbacks won on the road again Wednesday with an impressive 78-70 victory over Texas.
“We’re coming together,” Calipari said. “We’re still not close to what I think we could be. We’ve proven now in two tough places we can go on the road and win.”
Arkansas has received a lift lately from Johnell Davis, the former member of Florida Atlantic’s famous 2023 Final Four team.
Davis is averaging 20 points over the past three games after scoring in single digits in 10 of his first 17 appearances for the Hogs.
He scored a season-high 18 points in a 65-62 home loss to Oklahoma on Jan. 25 before matching that point total against Kentucky. He then set a season standard with 24 in the win over Texas.
Davis made 10 of 25 3-pointers during the three-game run and has 13 steals over the past four games. He leads the Razorbacks with 36 treys is and averaging 10.1 points a game.
Davis’ improved play is coming in handy with freshman standout Boogie Fland (hand injury) likely done for the season. Fland (15.1) ranks second on the team in scoring behind Adou Thiero (16.2).
“It’s nice to see Nelly being what we thought he could be,” Calipari said. “He’s been great. With him playing the way he is, now we’re dangerous.”
Alabama is well-rested, as it didn’t have a mid-week game. The Crimson Tide have been off since routing visiting Georgia 90-69 last Saturday.
Alabama coach Nate Oats was glad to have a layoff so his players could rest.
“It’s huge for a physical re-set,” Oats told reporters. “We’ve got a lot of guys banged up, so we’ve adjusted our original plan. … We’re only gonna go hard once in practice and make sure that it’s a lot more controlled than maybe what a game would be.”
One thing Oats liked seeing was standout guard Mark Sears playing hard and recording 20 points, six assists and five rebounds against the Bulldogs.
Two games earlier, Oats benched Sears for the second half of an 80-73 home win over LSU. Afterward, Oats said he played the guys he thought would help the team win, and he cited how much better the defense was in the second half.
Oats was singing a different tune after Sears averaged 18.5 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds and made 5 of 10 3-pointers in a two-game span. Sears leads Alabama with an 18.1 scoring average this season.
“I thought that was the hardest Mark Sears has played,” Oats said of the Georgia game. “He had some turnovers, but he sprinted back and made tough plays on defense. He didn’t sulk, didn’t pout. His leadership and the effort he gave really helped set the tone for how the team is supposed to look.
“So, if we can take that mentality and that effort on the defensive end and clean up the offense, we’ve got something ahead in the right direction going in the second half of conference play.”
The Crimson Tide have won the past four meetings with Arkansas.
–Field Level Media
