Can Razorbacks Avoid Road Letdown in Season Finale at Missouri?

Three things Arkansas must do to enter postseason play on a win streak

Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile (7) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas Razorbacks will need to avoid a letdown road performance in the regular season finale at Missouri.

Despite a sluggish start, Arkansas found a way to dominate the rest of the way to notch a key SEC victory over one of its biggest rivals inside Bud Walton Arena. This go around, the Razorbacks are considered (-3.5) point road favorites against the Tigers, according to DraftKings.

Arkansas has struggled at times on the road, especially in SEC play with double-digit losses to Auburn, Georgia, and Florida.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari on the sidelines against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. | Michael Morrison-allHOGS Images

There have been bright moments away from home in wins over Oklahoma, LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss, but each of those teams rank at the bottom of the league standings going into Saturday.

A road win against an opponent ranked among the Top 5 in the SEC like Missouri would give the Razorbacks their seventh Quad 1 win of the season.

So, how can the Razorbacks avoid another no-show on the road against a quality opponent?

Big Minutes from Brazile

In what was his final home game in an Arkansas jersey, the four-year college veteran turned in his finest performance to date. He scored a career-high 28 points to go along with seven boards and three blocks in a 105-85 thrashing of Texas Wednesday night.

Coach John Calipari's Hogs have been heavily match-up dependent when it comes to playing their brand of highly efficient offensive basketball. He will need all hands on deck, especially from Brazile, who remains Arkansas' X-factor for a team poised for another NCAA Tournament run.

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) goes up for a dunk during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

He thrives in the open court with his eyes focused on the rim, ranking in the 96th percentile of college basketball players with 22.2% of his points coming in transition, according to CBB Analytics.

If Arkansas can force Missouri to play out of its comfort zone Saturday, then Brazile must match his intensity from Wednesday night against the Longhorns.

The Razorbacks have built their identity around pace and transition scoring, which was clearly evident against Missouri in their previous meeting. Arkansas owned a 17–2 edge in fast break points and used a late scoring run to pull away late for a 94-86 victory.

Can Missouri Take Advantage of No Acuff?

The college basketball world will be hardpressed to find a better point guard in the country better than Darius Acuff. It just won't find him on the court in Columbia.

He has been as dominant of a player as anyone this season, scoring more than 25 points and dishing out over six assists per game which are numbers no one else has reached since Pete Maravich. That's a lot of production for Arkansas to replace, especially with Karter Knox out for the year.

With Acuff on the court, Arkansas is one of the more efficient offenses in the country ranked at No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 nationally. Calipari's team relies on dribble drives to create space on the floor, which in turn opens up the perimeter for catch-and-shoot opportunities.

Acuff is giving up the opportunity to tie and pass former Arkansas guard Mason Jones for the school record most points in a season in SEC games to get healthy for the postseason. He has scored 422 points across 17 SEC games this season. When Jones finished the 2029-20 season with the record, he went on to win SEC Player of the Year.

Limit the Three Ball

Missouri is 14-2 at home this season with wins over Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. What made each of those three victories unique is the Tigers made 22-of-59 (37.2%) from three while being outrebounded in each game.

Missouri Tigers guard Jacob Crews (35) scores a three point shot as Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) defends during the first half of the game at Mizzou Arena. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Arkansas won the rebounding margin in its win over Missouri, 29-21, in January, but the Tigers were still able to use the three-point line as an equalizer with seven made attempts.

On the season, the Razorbacks rank No. 57 nationally, holding opponents to a 31.8% mark from beyond the arc this season. Arkansas has been just as good in conference play, allowing SEC rivals to make 32% of attempts, which ranks No. 4 in the league.

Between Jacob Crews (45%), Jayden Stone (38%), Trent Pierce (40%), Luke Northweather (42%) and Mark Mitchell (33%), Missouri can put five players on the court at one time who can all hit the long ball. Each has attempted at least 40 threes this season.

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