Live Updates: No. 19 Tennessee Basketball opens SEC play at No. 18 Arkansas

Tennessee Basketball is going back on the road for just its second true road game of the season with the 19th-ranked Vols (10-3) open SEC play at No. 18 Arkansas (10-3) on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN2 and The Vol Network.

Follow along for live updates before, during and after today’s game on The General’s Quarters

The Vols lost 62-60 at Syracuse in the only other true road game this season. They’re coming off three straight home wins and started the season with five straight wins in Knoxville. 

Tennessee beat Rutgers and then-No. 3 Houston in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas in November but dropped the third game there against Kansas. The loss at Syracuse and a neutral-site loss to Illinois in Nashville followed.

How To Watch: No. 19 Tennessee at No. 18 Arkansas

When: Saturday, 3 p.m. Eastern Time
Where: Bud Walton Arena
TV: ESPN2 (Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes)
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: The Vol Network (Mike Keith, John Wilkerson)
BetMGM: Tennessee +2.5 | Total: 157.5
KenPom.com Prediction: Arkansas 79, Vols 78

A closer look at the Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas is ranked No. 18 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the Coaches Poll this week.

The analytic sites aren’t quite as high on the Razorbacks. KenPom.com has Arkansas at No. 27 overall (No. 16 on offense, No. 59 on defense) while BartTorvik.com and EvanMiya.com both have the Hogs at No. 24.

Three Arkansas players average double-figures, led by Darius Acuff Jr. at 18.8 points per game. Guard Maleek Thomas averages 15.2 and forward Trevon Brazile averaged 13.7. Brazile is the leading rebounder at 7.0 per game and Acuff leads the team in assists, at 6.2. 

Arkansas lost at Michigan State in its second game of the season, back on November 8, lost to Duke on November 27 in Chicago and lost to Houston in Newark on December 20. 

The Razorbacks are coming off a 103-74 home win over James Madison on December 29, beat Louisville 89-80 in the ACC-SEC Challenge at Bud Walton Arena on December 3 and beat Texas Tech in Dallas on December 13.

Tennessee leads Arkansas series 27-22 after four straight wins

Tennessee is 27-22 all time against Arkansas in a series that dates back to 1936. The Vols have won four straight against the Razorbacks, including the 76-52 win at Food City Center to start SEC play last season and the 92-63 win in Fayetteville in February 2024, the first win at Bud Walton Arena for the Vols since 2009. 

Rick Barnes is 11-7 overall as a head coach against Arkansas and 8-6 against the Hogs as the head coach of the Vols.

John Calipari is in his second season as the Arkansas head coach, after going 22-14 with the Razorbacks last season, including a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 10 seed, beating No. 7 Kansas and No. 2 St. John’s before falling to No. 3 Texas Tech. 

Saturday’s game will be Calipari’s 40th against the Vols, 18 more than any other active head coach. He’s 0-1 against Tennessee at Arkansas, went 13-19 against Tennessee at Kentucky and was 3-3 against the Vols at Memphis.