FAYETTEVILLE — After two agonizing road defeats against top-10 teams, Arkansas basketball returns home this weekend seeking a rivalry victory over a Quad 1 opponent.
The Razorbacks (15-11, 4-9 SEC) will face No. 16 Missouri (20-6, 9-4) on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN) hoping to avoid a season-sweep. The Tigers cruised to a 83-65 victory over the Hogs in mid-January, and they enter the rematch coming off arguably their best win of the season in a 110-98 triumph over Alabama on Wednesday.
Arkansas came close to upsetting the No. 1 team in the country that same night, but cold shooting doomed Razorbacks in a 67-60 loss to Auburn. Arkansas remains firmly on the bubble for entry into the NCAA Tournament with five games remaining in the season.
Here is a scouting report and prediction for the latest basketball edition of the Battle Line Rivalry.
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Stopping Caleb Grill is the top priority for Arkansas basketball
Grill is averaging 17.6 points in Missouri’s nine SEC victories. In the Tigers’ four losses, his average drops to 5.3 points per game.
Grill is one of the biggest 3-point threats across the country and dropped 25 points against Alabama on Wednesday night. He scored 17 points with three assists in Missouri’s win over the Razorbacks earlier this season.
It’s very difficult to defend the Tigers if Grill hits outside shots and successfully stretches the opposing defense. He needs to be the primary focus for Arkansas.
Can the Arkansas bigs come to life?
Zvonimir Ivisic, Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo combined for zero points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Auburn. Ivisic had his worst shooting night of the season, going 0 for 9 on 3-pointers. He needs a bounce-back performance against the Tigers.
Brazile and Aidoo must bounce out of their season-long funks. Neither player has scored more than five points since Jan. 22, and there hasn’t been enough consistency, with any progress closely followed by a step backward.
A home game against the rival Tigers would be a good time to break out of their respective slumps.
One of the final chances for a resume-building win
Missouri is one of two ranked teams remaining on the Hogs’ schedule. They’ll close the season against No. 23 Mississippi State, with games against Texas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt in-between.
The Razorbacks must beat either Missouri or Mississippi State to feel good about their chances at making the NCAA Tournament. As John Calipari said, every outing for Arkansas should now feel like a tournament game. The Hogs must be the more desperate team Saturday night.
Prediction
Missouri is rolling, but weird things can happen inside Bud Walton Arena. It’s been a long time since Arkansas had a major conference upset at home, and the Hogs are due. They’ll shoot well enough from behind-the-arc and benefit from a Missouri hangover after the Tigers romped Alabama at home. Arkansas 77, Missouri 72.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball vs Missouri: Scouting report, prediction
