AUBURN, Ala. - The top-ranked Auburn Tigers welcome the John Calipari-led Arkansas Razorbacks to Neville Arena on Wednesday evening to open up a three-game homestand.
Coming off what was arguably the best win in college basketball after beating Alabama on the road, the Tigers are looking to ride the high into a tricky matchup against one of the icons of college basketball. Arkansas’ Calipari enters the game as the fourth-winningest coach in SEC history.
The man right behind him? Bruce Pearl. He knows how good the Razorbacks have been, and still can be.
“Arkansas is talented enough and good enough to beat anyone in our league,” said Pearl. “Right now Arkansas is playing some of their best basketball.”
The Razorbacks have wins against then-No. 14 Michigan as well as then-No. 12 Kentucky at Rupp Arena. They have taken teams like Baylor, Ole Miss and Alabama down to the wire and have shown they are more than capable of hanging with highly-ranked competition.
Zvonimir Ivisic, Johnell Davis and Adou Thiero will all be names to watch as Arkansas hopes to contend with the Tigers. Thiero and Davis are both impact transfers who aren’t shy of big moments. Davis, coming from FAU, is just two years removed from leading his team to the Final Four. Thiero, the Kentucky transfer, was a huge part in the Wildcats win in Auburn a season ago. The pair contributes 15.1 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
Ivisic, widely known as ‘Big Z,’ presents a whole new challenge to opposing teams. The seven-footer from Croatia has proved to be a matchup nightmare, especially with his ability to shoot from long range.
“He’s a unicorn,” said Pearl. “He is very unique. He’s their best three-point shooter, both in makes and percentage. Cal [Calipari] is doing a lot of things to get him clean looks, and if he can see it he can make it.”
For Auburn, it should be more of the same as they look to extend their win streak back to three. Denver Jones has been tremendous for the Tigers offensively and defensively, averaging 18.5 points per game in his last two contests while holding opposing guards well below their season averages. Jones’ play in the last week earned him Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week recognition.
Another player garnering national attention, Johni Broome has been red hot for the Tigers as he hopes to make his case for National Player of the Year. He has scored 15-plus points in his last seven league contests and has posted double-doubles in five of those.
Both teams come into this game looking at it as a must-win. For Auburn, the quest to win an SEC championship will not allow them to let up. With three straight games at Neville Arena and only a one-game lead in the conference standings, a win over the Razorbacks is key for Pearl and company. On the other side, Arkansas is fighting for their tournament lives. Currently sitting in the ‘last four in’ category, a road win against the No. 1 team in the nation would be a huge addition to their resume.
The matchup between two of the league’s top coaches is set to take place Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN with radio coverage provided by the Auburn Sports Network.
