Razorbacks' Game with Florida Could Be Last Chance

For any hopes of having a shot at postseason they have to figure out win over Gators

allHOGS Staff | Feb 18, 2023

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (17-9, 6-7 SEC) vs Florida Gators (14-12, 7-6 SEC)
What: It will be a “Red Out” at Bud Walton Arena.
When: Saturday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m.
Where: Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Television: ESPN2 (Kevin Fitzgerald and Jimmy Dykes) and fuboTV.
Listen Online: HitThatLine.com
Radio: ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
Sirius/XM: 111 (Sirius) / 192 (XM) || SXM App: Channel 963

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas will play to first of consecutive home games on Saturday when the Razorbacks host the Florida Gators for this year’s “Red Out” game.

That's for the fans. For the Razorbacks it's a must-win game to try and salvage a season that has sailed off the rails.

It won't be easy, even if the Gators will likely be without star forward Colin Castleton, who reportedly suffered a broken hand last year.

"Probably the same impact … we’ve had Brazile out the whole year," Musselman said. "If you look at injuries, it allows opportunities for other guys to play. Florida played a really good last 15 minutes of the game today against Ole Miss. Todd Golden is a very good coach.

"They have a talented roster. Somebody else will get an opportunity, and their style of play, I thought, in the second half tonight, I thought they adjusted really well. They still have a big guy inside in No. 33 (Jason Jitoboh) — a big, strong player. They’ll have a little bit more probably perimeter players on Saturday."

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2 and fuboTV.

Game Notes

• Arkansas and Florida have met on 40 previous occasions, all coming since the Razorbacks joined the SEC for the 1991-92 season.

• Arkansas has won two straight versus Florida and leads 9-7 in games played in Fayetteville. The series is tied, 3-3 over the last six, but the Gators own a 26-14 overall advantage in the series including wins in 11 of the last 14.

• Over the last 10 games, Arkansas has shot at least 44% from the field each game. With its recent success, Arkansas now leads the SEC (and ranks 35th in the NCAA) in field goal percentage at 47.7%.

• In SEC games, Arkansas is shooting 45.5% from the field, which ranks second behind Alabama (45.9%). NOTE: Texas A&M is 3rd at 44.1% in SEC games. At its current rate, Arkansas’s SEC FG% of .455 would tie for the 7th-best in school history and best in SEC play since shooting 47% in 2018.

• Arkansas ranks 13th in the NCAA (3rd in the SEC) in blocked shots 5.3 per game. Makhel Mitchell is 4th in the SEC in rejections (1.9) and Makhi Mitchell ranks 7th (1.38). Arkansas has blocked at least six shots in each of the last six games

• Despite back-to-back losses, Arkansas has remained among the NCAA NET top 25. After the Kentucky win, Arkansas went from 28 to 23 in the NCAA NET. After the Mississippi State loss, Arkansas stayed at 23 and improved to 20 without even playing a game. After the Texas A&M loss, Arkansas only dropped one to 21.