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Arkansas Razorbacks – Georgia Bulldogs Preview – 01.23.2016

The Arkansas Razorbacks will be at Stegeman Coliseum to face off against the Georgia Bulldogs in a Southeastern matchup. The game gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and will air on SEC and ES3.

The Bulldogs barely escaped Missouri 60-57 on Wednesday. J.J. Frazier had a good outing, contributing 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for the Bulldogs. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 80-66 loss to Kentucky on Thursday. Dusty Hannahs led the team in scoring with 20 points.

The physical Georgia offense seems poised to dominate from the foul line. It ranks 23rd in the nation with a FTA rate of 44.6, while Arkansas is among the nation’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 307th-ranked FTA rate of 42.6). The Razorbacks should also expect to protect the ball well. They rank 19th at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.4%). Conversely, the Bulldogs force the 66th-fewest turnovers in the nation (opponents’ TO% of 17.1%).

Georgia is favored by a slim two-point margin in its matchup against Arkansas. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 145 points. The Bulldogs come into this game 10-6 Straight Up (SU) and 8-8 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Bulldogs, who have allowed only 6.0 three-pointers to opponents per game. The Bulldogs are the 30th-best team in the country at blocking shots, averaging 5.4 blocks per game.

Across the court, Arkansas has a SU record of 9-9 and an ATS record of 8-6. Offensively, they average 77.4 points per game on the road, which is 34th in the country. The Razorbacks are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 16th in Division I at 1.54.

This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Razorbacks victory, bumping their SU record over their most recent meetings to 6-4. With a 5-4-1 record, the Razorbacks also have the advantage ATS. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.

Predictions: SU Winner – Ark, ATS Winner – Ark, O/U – Over

Notes

Georgia is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.

The total has gone OVER in 5 of Georgia’s last 7 games.

The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Georgia’s last 9 games when playing Arkansas.

Georgia and Arkansas both stand at an even 3-3 SU against their conference.

Arkansas scores 77.4 points per away game (ranked 34th). Georgia ranks a poor 124th in points allowed at home, allowing 65.8 points.

With 67.9 possessions and 1.024 points per possession, the Georgia Bulldogs perform worse on both metrics than the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas averages 73.5 possessions and 1.127 points per possession.

Georgia has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.4%. Arkansas is a poor 3-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.

On average, Georgia attempts 17.0 three pointers and Arkansas attempts 15.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Georgia Bulldogs have a winning 3-1 record while the Arkansas Razorbacks are even at 1-1.

The 16th-ranked team in the category, Arkansas has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.54 this season. Georgia ranks lower at 251st with an A/TO of .94.

Arkansas ranks 130th in offensive rebounds, while Georgia ranks at 69th in defensive rebounds.

Georgia has forced an average turnover rate of 17.1% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 17.1% or higher, Arkansas is an even 3-3.

Written by GMS Previews

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