The Hogs are on the loose, folks.
Arkansas’ basketball team is one of the hottest squads in the country right now, and coach Eric Musselman added another gem to an already strong NCAA Tournament resume on Saturday.
The Razorbacks earned a crucial 75-73 win against No. 6 Kentucky in Fayetteville behind a 30-point outing from guard J.D. Notae. Arkansas led by as much as 13 in the first half, but it had to work its way out of a deficit after the Wildcats came out of the locker room with some renewed energy.
With the win, the Razorbacks continue what has been arguably the most impressive run in college basketball over the last month (and change). Since Jan. 12, this team has lost just one of its 14 contests. That stretch includes four wins in the Quadrant 1 category with victories over the two best teams in the conference in Auburn and now Kentucky.
The victory put Arkansas into a tie with the Wildcats for the No. 2 spot in the conference, two games behind coach Bruce Pearl’s Auburn squad. The Tigers have a difficult Saturday matchup of their own against another one of the SEC’s top teams in Tennessee on the road, so this result at Bud Walton Arena may have significant impacts in the quest for the league’s regular-season title.
However, the Tigers could clinch at least a share of the championship with a win over the Vols.
Most bracket projections, including the most recent update from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, have the Razorbacks as a projected No. 6 seed in the tournament. With the win over the Wildcats, which moves Arkansas to 5-4 on the season in Quadrant 1 matchups, the Hogs are almost certain to move up. They remain perfect in six Quadrant 2 games and are 12-2 in Quadrant 3 and 4 contests.
This team’s stock is rising, and this could be one of the SEC’s most dangerous squads come March.
