Mike Anderson will lead his young Arkansas team into a matchup with Texas on Friday night at the Armed Forces Classic in El Paso.
The Razorbacks will look a lot different than they did a year ago, as Anderson welcomes in a large amount of newcomers after losing eight of his top 10 scorers from last season.
As for Texas, Shaka Smart’s team is off to a 1-0 start after picking up a 71-59 victory over Eastern Illinois on Tuesday.
Kerwin Roach – the team’s leading scorer last season – did not play in that game but is expected to be on the court for this one.
Let’s run through what to watch for heading into this matchup.
Game Details
- Arkansas vs. Texas
- Location: Fort Bliss – El Paso, TX
- Game Date: Nov. 9
- Game Time: 7 p.m EST
- Watch: ESPN
Players to Watch
Daniel Gafford (Arkansas)
This is an obvious choice considering that he and junior forward Adrio Bailey are the only returning players with any experience in Anderon’s system.
Gafford is a likely lottery pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and this season will be all about seeing how much he can develop his game in a conference filled with other highly-skilled front court players.
The 6-11 sophomore is going to see plenty of double teams this year, so Arkansas is going to need others to progress quickly around him.
Gafford had 75 dunks in 35 games last season, and highlight reel plays shouldn’t be hard to come by against this year.
Kerwin Roach (Texas)
Roach averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 33.4 minutes per game last season, so he will certainly be someone that the Longhorns lean on this season.
He put up 26 points in the team’s NCAA Tournament first round loss to Nevada, hitting a season-high six 3-pointers.
Roach and sophomore guard Matt Coleman will make things difficult for opposing backcourts, and they should be able to lead Texas to a lot of victories this season.
Jaxson Hayes (Texas)
The 6-11 freshman had a solid outing in his debut for the Longhorns, scoring 12 points and adding four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes of action.
Hayes has the size and potential to be a really dominant player in the future, and his initial game proves that Smart and his staff already believe he can make an impact for this team.
His matchup will be a little tougher this time around with Gafford on the court, but those two getting matched up on each other could be fun to watch.
Key Stats
Texas only out-rebounded Eastern Illinois by one, which was a little surprising considering the size advantage for the Longhorns.
However, Arkansas wasn’t a great rebounding team last season, and it may take a while to things to fully improve in that area due to all the youth.
While exhibitions don’t mean much, the Razorbacks did get to the free-throw line early and often in putting up 45 attempts against Southwest Baptist.
Of course, they only made 30 of those attempts, so that’s worth noting should this game be close down the stretch.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Texas – 6.5
- Over/Under: 152.5
- KenPom Projection: Texas, 70 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Texas, 76.2 percent chance to win
It’s hard to know what we’re gonna get from Arkansas in this spot.
The Hogs have an all-league player in Gafford, but there are a ton of question marks beyond that.
This feels like the type of team that has the potential to pull off some upsets later in the season, but right now, it could be a feeling out process while all the new faces try to build chemistry on and off the court.
Texas didn’t play particularly well on Tuesday, and adding Roach to the mix should alleviate some of those concerns.
The pressure style that Smart loves to play should give Arkansas’s unproven backcourt some problems, and that may be enough for Texas to secure enough points off of turnovers to earn the win.
Game Prediction: Texas 79, Arkansas 70
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