Kentucky Basketball Preview – Know Your Enemy: Arkansas Razorbacks
By Paul Jordan
GAME 27
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2011 – 8 PM
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS 16-10 (5-7)
BUD WALTON ARENA – FAYETTEVILLE, AR
TV – SEC NETWORK
SERIES HISTORY
KENTUCKY LEADS 24-7
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
1/23/2010: KENTUCKY 101 Arkansas 70
2.14/2009: KENTUCKY 79 Arkansas 63
2/23/2008: KENTUCKY 63 Arkansas 58
2/3/2007: KENTUCKY 82 Arkansas 74
1/29/2006: KENTUCKY 78 Arkansas 76
Gone are the days of Nolan Richardson’s “Forty Minutes of Hell” and the ultra intense Kentucky/Arkansas rivalry we all remember. Those days are long gone and for the last decade, Arkansas has been Kentucky’s patsie as the Wildcats have won the last ten games in this series by an average of 11.8 games. Kentucky is 6-4 at Bud Walton Arena, but the Cats have won the last four meetings away from home. Last year’s meeting at Rupp was an especially ugly beatdown as Kentucky won by 31 points.
You would be hard pressed to call the Razorbacks a bubble team, but a win over Kentucky and a four game winning streak to end the season would put them at 20-10 and worthy of the bubble talk. So the Razorbacks have a lot to play for. They have been inconsistent this year, and boast wins over Tennessee , Alabama, and Vanderbilt but also have 30 point losses to Texas and Florida. Regardless, they play better at Bud Walton and almost upset Georgia on this court.
THE STARTERS
#12 – G – MARCUS BRITT SR 6’3 198
4.7 ppg, 1.8 apg, 1.2 rpg
#15 – G – ROTNEI CLARKE JR 6’0 184
13.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 apg
#30 – G – JEFF PETERSON JR 6’0 192
6.7 ppg, 2.5 apg. 2.2 rpg
#33 – F – MARSHAWN POWELL SO 6’7 220
10.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 0.8 apg
#21 – F – DELVON JOHNSON – SR 6’9 220
9.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.9 apg
BACK COURT
Senior Marcus Britt has been getting the starts as of lately, and he is a solid three point shooter (42.9%) who has been hot lately, but aside from three point shooting, he does not bring a lot to the table. He is a average passer and rebounder and only sees about 17 minutes a game. Britt has had a couple of good games this year, but overall has been to inconsistent to consider him a breakout threat for this game. Former Billy G recruit Rotnei Clarke is definitely a threat to be worried about. He had 36 points in that road upset win at Vanderbilt and he is hitting 44% of his trey attempts on the season. He is on a torrid hot streak currently, nailing 12 of 16 treys the last three games. John Pelphery has wanted Clarke to get more involved in the passing game, but he still averages just over an assist a game. Look for Rotnei to become real familiar with DeAndre Daniels. Jeff Peterson has found the transition from the Big 10 to the SEC tougher than expected. The former Iowa guard has struggled from the field, hitting just 38.8% from the field, but 34.6% on his treys. Peterson actually has a couple of 7 assist games on the season so he can pass the ball, but is capable of hitting double digits offensively. He does have trouble with larger guards, so Kentucky’s length should provide matchup problems. Julyesses Nobles may get the occasional start in place of Britt and he is actually a much better passer and facilitator. Nobles is averaging 8.4 points and hits 36.4% of his three pointers. Freshman Mardracus Wade will see some time in the game, but is not a big threat offensively, as he averages just 4.3 ppg and 1.2 boards per appearance.
FRONT COURT
It would be east to label Marshawn Powell a sophomore bust, but you have to remember he is recovering from a fractured foot. He is down in almost all categories from last year, but he is starting to show signs of life. When he is on, he can take over a game and dominate inside, but those times are few and far between this year with two double doubles this year. Powell is a threat to put up some big points though and this will be an interesting matchup to watch. What Powell does not provide on the boards or defensively, Delvon Johnson does. Johnson is a tremendous presence defensively and averages 3.3 blocks a game. He has four double doubles on the season, but has only hit double digits in scoring once in the past seven games and he is capable of a 20 point performance. He is very efficient near the basket, hitting 54% of his FG’s. Glenn Bryant offers some solid backup minutes and provides 4.5 points and 3.2 boards per game in just 13.7 minutes per game. He is also blocking 1.8 shots per game. As of right now, Delvon Johnson is questionable for the game, although John Pelphery says he will play. If not, Bryant can play a big role in this game. Marvell Waithe adds a bit more depth in the front court at 6’9, and averages 3.4 ppg and 3.9 rebounds.
OUTLOOK
As with South Carolina, this is a game Kentucky should win easily and have very favorable matchups. The Hogs will be bothered by Kentucky’s length and they are not that strong of a rebounding game. Kentucky gets an added bonus if Johnson does not play in the game. But we know how it
goes on the road. This will be Arkansas’s biggest game of the year but the key to this game is to keep Clarke under 20 points and Kentucky should win without too much drama. Here is looking at another solid team performance and it bodes well that Darius Miller had 18 against this team last year. Kentucky 81 Arkansas 63
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