Calipari's Hogs Walk Fine Line at Oklahoma as SEC Race Tightens

Arkansas Razorbacks face Sooners knowing road trip matters for postseason

Oklahoma Sooners coach Porter Moser reacts during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This game doesn’t live in the must-win column for Arkansas.

It resides somewhere trickier.

Tuesday night’s trip to Oklahoma falls squarely into the can’t-lose category, the kind of January road game that doesn’t headline a season, but can certainly reshape it.

With a red-hot Kentucky team coming to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday bent on revenge from last season's upset, the Razorbacks can't afford a two-loss week as NCAA Tournament seeding begins to take shape along with the race for the SEC regular season championship.

That’s the reality for a team sitting at No. 15 nationally, 15-5 overall, and 5-2 in SEC play.

The Hogs have momentum. They’ve won two straight with wins over a ranked Vanderbilt team and a gritty home win over LSU in front of a crowd cut in half by snowy conditions.

But they’ve also learned that the league doesn’t offer redos, especially against teams desperate to get back into its pre-SEC form. Oklahoma fits that description perfectly.

The Sooners enter Tuesday at 11-9 overall and 1-6 in the SEC, tied with LSU at the bottom of the standings. That record hides some sharp edges.

Arkansas has already seen this movie during conference play. Since opening SEC play with a win against Tennessee, every league opponent the Razorbacks have faced has come off a loss.

Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss all had a little extra focus against the Hogs after dropping a league game. That pattern will continue in Norman.

While Oklahoma is riding a six-game losing streak, there different team on the floor than the record suggests. Just ask No. 23 Alabama which recently escaped Norman with a 2-point win.

There was also a one-point overtime loss to Missouri that required two Tiger buzzer-beaters — one to force extra time and one to end it. Other losses weren't nearly as close, but all clearly showed the Sooners can put up points on the scoreboard, so teams better be ready to answer.

And that's where things get tough for Arkansas. Oklahoma is a different team in their home arena and the Hogs can't afford to get off to a cold start.

Oklahoma Sooners coach Porter Moser reacting during overtime against the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Familiar Coach, System Built to Linger

Oklahoma coach Porter Moser isn’t unfamiliar with Arkansas.

Before Norman, Moser got his start at Arkansas-Little Rock, where he compiled a 54-34 record. He later gained notoriety outside of Arkansas when he took Loyola-Chicago on a Cinderella run to the final four in 2018 that made Sister Jean, the team's chaplain, even more famous than Moser and his top players.

That résumé followed him to Oklahoma, although Sister Jean had to stay behind. The expectations followed Moser as well.

Moser won 19 his first season, had a small drop-off in his second year, then reeled off back-to-back 20-win seasons, the latter of which featured an NCAA Tournament bid while the first 20-win season was highlighted by a No. 7 ranking at one point.

After three years coaching in the Big 12, Moser is now in his second SEC season adjusting to a different style of play.

According to KenPom, Oklahoma’s offense ranks 47th nationally. The defense sits at 121st. Those numbers alone easily point to a team that will be close in games, but likely fall short at the end.

The Sooners average 83.7 points per game, ninth in the SEC, while allowing 75.9, ranking 10th. In conference play, those numbers dip a little bit as Oklahoma scores 76.9 points per game against SEC opponents while giving up 82.5.

One thing Arkansas can expect is for the Sooners to slow things down in an effort to keep freshman star Darius Acuff and veteran forward Trevon Brazile from getting into their normal rhythms. Oklahoma currently sits at 197th in the country when it comes to tempo

They will also make it hard for the Hogs to get their transition offense rolling in other ways. Moser's team is careful with the ball. They have a 14.4% turnover margin, which places them 33rd in the country.

Those two elements comebine just well enough to set the stage for a somewhat frustrating night for John Calipari's Hogs. If Arkansas can't turn things into a track meet, the Razorbacks may be forced to rely on their three-point shooting which is much more unreliable than utilizing their superior athletic ability to go on a series of short spurts to put teams away.

Oklahoma's Nijel Pack (9) drives to the basket as Ole Miss' Augusto Cassia (88) defends in the first half of a game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pack, Pace, and Rebounding Grind

Nijel Pack is the name Arkansas fans should recognize, and for good reason.

He scored 22 points against the Razorbacks last year while playing at Miami, and put up 14 back during his sophomore season at Kansas State in 2021.

Now at Oklahoma, the six-year veteran is averaging 15.7 points per game while hitting 42.2% from three.

Pack will definitely keep the Hogs busy with their perimeter defense. He jacks up 7.4 threes per game, which is roughly twice his closest teammate.

His prolific shooting from behind the arc has made it possible for Pack to score in double figures in all but three games this year.

Xzayvier Brown is the other Sooner who can be a bit of a headache for Arkansas tonight. He currently leads Oklahoma at 16.5 points per game and will be a problem for the Hogs defensively as he can score from anywhere on the floor.

Just to make him even more potentially annoying, Brown leads the SEC in free-throw percentage. He also joins Pack in leading the team in assists also, which means Arkansas can't get one dimensional on defense.

Tae Davis will cause problems for the Razorbacks in the paint. He puts up 13 points and 6.4 rebounds, the latter of which can become a major issue for the Hogs as the game plays out.

Oklahoma averages 12.3 offensive rebounds per game, which is slightly better than Arkansas. Still, the overall numbers favor Arkansas

The Razorbacks currently only have one true road win — a tight SEC win over Ole Miss early in conference play. With Kentucky coming to town Saturday, Calipari isn't going to be looking for his team to come out of this looking shiny.

He's just hoping for another road win to keep the momentum going for when Mark Pope and Big Blue Nation come to Fayetteville.