Tennessee basketball faces Arkansas Tuesday night in its final home game of the 2022-23 season and its Senior Night.
The Vols are coming off a blowout win over South Carolina but have still struggled in recent weeks dropping four of their last six games entering the matchup.
Arkansas has underachieved for much of the season after bringing in a highly touted recruiting and transfer class. Still, the Razorbacks have played better in recent weeks winning two of their last three and taking Alabama to the wire in Tuscaloosa Saturday.
Here’s everything you need to know about the SEC matchup.
More From RTI: Everything Rick Barnes Said Before SEC Battle
How to Watch – No. 12 Tennessee (21-8, 10-6 SEC) vs Arkansas (19-10, 8-8 SEC)
- Start Time: 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT
- Location: Thompson-Boling Arena
- TV: ESPN2. PxP: Karl Ravech, CC: Jimmy Dykes, Sideline: Marty Smith
- Online Streaming: Watch ESPN
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
Team Statistics (via ESPN)
What Tennessee Coach Rick Barnes Said About The Razorbacks
“Well, they’re a very aggressive team. They’ve always been a terrific defensive team. They defend the 3-point line as well as anybody you’ll play. But the difference a year ago, they force you inside, had a player that was looking to pick up charges. This year they’ve got shot-blockers. So when you go in there, you better know what you’re getting ready to encounter. They really do play extremely hard defensively. Then offensively, another team that looks to really get the ball to the basket, attack the lane area in different ways. Not just off the dribble — off the handoffs, any way they can create an angle to get downhill, they’re going to try to do that.”
Betting Lines
- Spread: Tennessee -7 (-110), Arkansas +7 (-110)
- Total: Over/Under 134
- Spread: Tennessee -7 South Carolina
- Total: Over/Under 133
Probable Starters (via UT Sports)
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
- Points: Santiago Vescovi – 12.3 PPG, 39 FG%, 34.9 3PT%
- Rebounds: Jonas Aidoo – 5.2 RPG
- Assists: Zakai Zeigler – 5.5 APG, 2.3 TOPG, 29.6 MPG
Arkansas:
- Points: Rickie Council IV — 16.8 PPG, 46 FG%, 27.6%
- Rebounds: Makhi Mitchell — 5.8 RPG
- Assists: Anthony Black — 4.3 APG, 3.1 TOPG, 34.7 MPG
Last Five Games
Prediction
Tennessee is looking to put a bow on its 2022-23 home slate with a victory over Arkansas. It would be the first time Tennessee has won consecutive games since beating Georgia and Texas the final two games of January.
Arkansas has lost three of its last five games after finding its footing in the middle of conference play when its scheduled softened. Still, star freshman Nick Smith is back and he’s provided a nice boost to the Razorbacks’ offense.
Even with that boost, I expect this to be a low scoring and tight game. Both teams pride themselves on their defense and both teams have there fair share of offensive issues.
Playing at home, I think Tennessee gets the job done in a low scoring rock fight that isn’t easy on the eyes.
Tennessee 68, Arkansas 64
