Gameday Live: Arkansas vs LSU

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (12-1) at LSU (9-4)
What: Arkansas first SEC road game of 2020
When: Wednesday – Jan. 8, 2020 – 8:00 pm (CT)
Where: Baton Rouge, La. – Pete Maravich Assembly Center
How (to follow):
– TV: ESPNU (Tom Hart and Jimmy Dykes)
^ CLICK HERE to Watch ESPN Online
– Radio: Learfield IMG College Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
^ Listen to Razorback Sports Network Online: CLICK HERE
– Sirius/XM: XM Channel 382 and streaming online, channel 972
– Live Stats: www.LSU.StatBroadcast.com

– Arkansas Game Notes: CLICK HERE
– Texas A&M Game Notes: CLICK HERE

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas will play its first SEC road game of the year, facing LSU on Wednesday (Jan. 8). Tipoff at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center is set for 8 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

Versus LSU – Musselman Returns

• This will be the 68th meeting between Arkansas and LSU — the 59th since Arkansas joined the SEC. The Razorbacks own a 36-31 advantage in the series and are 12-17 in games played in Baton Rouge.
• Razorback head coach Eric Musselman was associate head coach of the Tigers for the 2014-15 season. LSU went 22-11, finished 3rd in the SEC (11-7) and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Hays Myers, Arkansas special assistant to the head coach, was a student manager with the Tigers and is a 2016 LSU graduate.
• The teams split the series last season, each winning on the road.

^ LSU 94 – ARKANSAS 88 OT: Daniel Gafford scored a career-high 32 points, including a dunk to erase a 13-point deficit and force overtime, but LSU hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the extra period and held on for a 94-88 victory Saturday evening at Bud Walton Arena. Mason Jones contributed 22 with six rebounds. Reggie Chaney added 12 points and four steals. Naz Reid led Tigers with 27 points. Tremont Williams scored 17 points and had 11 assists. Marion Taylor scored 21 points.

  ^ ARKANSAS 90 – LSU 89: Mason Jones hit a jumper in the lane to give Arkansas a 90-89 lead with 22 seconds left. The 19th-ranked LSU Tigers had three attempts to win the game but could not convert as the Razorbacks pulled out a one-point win before the 10th-largest crowd (13,311) in the Maravich Assembly Center history. Arkansas let an 18-point, second-half lead slip away and LSU grabbed three, one-point leads inside the final 3:39. However, Arkansas answered each time to regain the advantage. First Isaiah Joe made two free throws with 2:27 left. Second, Daniel Gafford got an offensive rebound and put-back with 3:01 left.  Last was Jones’ game-winner.

SEC Play Begins

• Arkansas opened conference play versus Texas A&M for the fifth time in the eight years since A&M joined the league (2012-13).
• Beginning its 29th season in the Southeastern Conference, Arkansas defeated the Aggies and is 17-12 all-time in SEC openers.
• Arkansas is just 7-21 when playing its first SEC road game. The Razorbacks’ first road SEC game has been at LSU twice and the Hogs are 1-1 in such games (W, 80-75 on 1/2/99 and L, 56-53 1/12/11).

Mason Jones is THE TEAM LEADER

• Mason Jones leads the Razorbacks in scoring (17.9) • rebounding (6.2) • assists (33) • steals 23.

Best Scoring DUO IN NCAA – BEST Trio in SEC

• Arkansas is the only team in the NCAA to feature:
  ^ Two players in the nation’s top 100 for scoring — Mason Jones (37th / 19.5) • Isaiah Joe (90th / 17.4)

• Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature:
  ^ Two players in the league’s top 4 for scoring — Mason Jones (2ndh / 19.5) • Isaiah Joe (4th / 17.4)
  ^ Three players in the league’s top 18 for scoring — Jimmy Whitt Jr.  (18th / 13.4)

Razorbacks Are 12-1

• Arkansas is off to a 12-1 start for the first time since 2008-09. It is the 15th time Arkansas has started at least 12-1 in this he 97th season of basketball.
• Arkansas’ 92.3 win percentage is 8th-T in the NCAA.
  ^ Arkansas is 1 of 9 teams in the NCAA with one or fewer losses.

#24 in NCAA NET, #10 in RPI, #8 Seed in Bracketology

• Arkansas’ NCAA NET jumped seven spots to 24th after a 69-59 win over Texas A&M to start SEC play.
  ^ Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (6).
  ^ The rest of the SEC inside the top 100: LSU (30); Georgia (36); Kentucky (37); Florida (52); Missouri (59); Alabama (64); Ole Miss (68); Miss. State (76); Tennessee (80).
• Arkansas has an RPI of 10. Arkansas’ RPI of 10 is better than 16 teams ranked in the in the AP top 25 and Arkansas’ NET of 24 is better than four teams in the top 25.
• After the win at Indiana, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi moved the Hogs from a #12 seed, facing VCU in a play-in game to earn one of the final spots, to a #8 seed, facing Purdue in the South Regional.

Putting Arkansas 3PT Defense … or Joe’s Success … in Perspective

• Arkansas opponents have made 52 3-pointers in 233 attempts.
• Sophomore Isaiah Joe has made 50 3-pointers in 143 attempts.

More Joe Perspective

• Through the first eight games, Isaiah Joe was shooting 32.9% from 3-point range.
  ^ He was averaging 3.1 makes and 9.5 attempts over the first eight.

• Over the last five games, Joe is shooting 37.3% from 3-point range.
  ^ He is averaging 5.0 makes and 13.4 attempts over the last five.

• Joe also has an OK first half to games and comes on strong in the second half.
  ^ 1st HALF: 6.0 ppg (3rd on the team) • 1.8 rebs • 30.2% from 3-pt range • 17 turnovers
  ^ 2nd HALF: 11.4 ppg (1st on the team) – 2.8 rebs – 40.8% from 3-pt range – 9 turnovers

Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List

• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• FANS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER AT: http://www.hoophallawards.com/men/vote.php

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.