Arkansas will look to notch its third-straight victory when it hosts Montana State on Wednesday night.
The Razorbacks have rebounded nicely from their opening week loss to Texas, with Mike Anderson’s team earning back-to-back home wins over UC Davis and Indiana.
As for the Bobcats, they’re off to a 1-4 start with their most recent loss coming at UC Santa Barbara.
Let’s run through what to watch for in this matchup.
Game Details
- Arkansas (2-1) vs. Montana State (1-4)
- Location: Bud Walton Arena – Fayetteville, AR
- Game Date: Nov. 21
- Game Time: 8 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network+
Players to Watch
Daniel Gafford (Arkansas)
As expected, the 6-11 sophomore has been the driving force for the Hogs early on this season.
Gafford is averaging 19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game thus far, and he’s coming off a huge double-double game with 27 points and 12 rebounds against Indiana.
He has had some turnover issues in the first three games (5.0 tpg), but that number should improve once he gets more acclimated to the constant double teams that he’ll see the year.
Tyler Hall (Montana State)
Hall is once again providing a huge scoring spark for the Bobcats after leading the team in scoring a year ago (17.5 ppg).
The 6-5 senior has posted two games of 20-plus points thus far, including a 30-point outing in the 81-77 loss at Colorado State.
He’s not afraid to put up shots in a hurry from the perimeter, as he currently sits at 15 of 48 for 31.1 percent from 3-point range.
Key Stats
Hall isn’t the only one that’s going to shoot a ton of shots from beyond the arc, with the Bobcats ranked 35th nationally in 3-point field goal attempts with 26.2 per contest.
But one area where Montana State will have an advantage is against Arkansas’s youth, as Brian Fish’s team returned four starters this season and ranks 26th nationally in experience.
Beyond that, there aren’t many statistical advantages for the visitors.
Montana State is currently 342nd nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and that could mean trouble against an Arkansas team that’s finding a rhythm on offense.
The Hogs are better offensively in pretty much every area except for free-throw shooting (308th nationally at 60.7 percent), so that’s encouraging for Mike Anderson’s squad.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Arkansas -21
- Over/Under: 153
- KenPom Projection: Arkansas, 97 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI Projection: Arkansas, 87.3 percent chance to win
Arkansas has really impressed me in the first few weeks of the season.
This was a team that had a lot of unknowns due to all the youth and newcomers on the roster, but they’ve shown a ton of toughness in facing several challenging opponents.
The win over Indiana showed what this young squad is capable of, and that momentum should carry over into this game.
Montana State simply hasn’t been very good, and it’s only win is against non-Division I competition.
The Razorbacks should cruise to victory here.
Season Predictions Record (straight up): 43-9
Game Prediction: Arkansas 89, Montana State 65
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