Florida Gators vs Arkansas Razorbacks preview

What to know: #12 Florida Gators vs. Arkansas
Game Information
When: Wednesday, March 1, 2017 at 7 p.m. (ET)
Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, Fla.
Records: Florida (23-6, 13-3 SEC); Arkansas (22-7, 11-5 SEC)
Coaches: Mike White- 44-21 (2nd season at Florida), 145-61 (6th season overall); Mike Anderson- 124-71 (6th season at Arkansas), 324-169 (15th season overall)
TV: ESPN2
Streaming: WatchESPN
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network

Projected Starters
FLORIDA POS. HT. WT. CLASS PER GAME
DEVIN ROBINSON F 6-8 200 Junior 11.1 pts / 6.0 reb
JUSTIN LEON F 6-8 206 Senior 7.3 pts / 3.8 reb
KEVARRIUS HAYES C 6-9 218 Sophomore 6.4 pts / 4.1 reb
KASEY HILL G 6-1 175 Senior 9.5 pts / 4.8 asts
KEVAUGHN ALLEN G 6-2 183 Sophomore 14.0 pts / 2.6 reb

ARKANSAS POS. HT. WT. CLASS PER GAME
DUSTIN THOMAS F 6-8 225 R-Junior 5.4 pts / 4.1 reb
MOSES KINGSLEY F 6-10 230 Senior 11.8 pts / 7.7 reb
JAYLEN BARFORD G 6-3 202 Junior 12.2 pts / 3.6 reb
DUSTY HANNAHS G 6-3 210 R-Senior 14.7 pts / 1.9 reb
MANUALE WATKINS G 6-3 222 Senior 6.0 pts / 3.8 reb

Preview
Arkansas comes into the game playing extremely well, on a five-game winning streak that includes road wins at LSU, South Carolina and Auburn.

The Gators enter fresh off of a tough 76-66 loss at Kentucky over the weekend that snapped a nine-game winning streak. The streak was the longest under Mike White and the eight consecutive SEC wins tied the fifth longest in school history.

Florida led nearly the entire first half at Kentucky and the first part of the second half, but poor rebounding and ill-advised fouls led to a dominant end to the game for the Wildcats. Despite the lack of offense produced by the Gators, KeVaughn Allen finished the game with 24 points for his second consecutive 20-plus point game.

The Razorbacks are led in scoring by Dusty Hannahs, averaging 14.7 points per game. Behind him in double-digits are Daryl Macon (13.7), Jaylen Barford (12.2) and Pre-Season SEC Player of the Year, Moses Kingsley (11.8).

Hannahs (.390, 60-for-154) and Macon (.392, 56-for-143) are the biggest threats from long-range. Arkansas comes in second in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage with a .375 average from beyond the arc.

Kingsley leads the team with 7.7 rebounds per game, while Macon has dished a team-best 66 assists this season.

Florida holds a 20-11 all-time record over Arkansas that includes five straight wins and wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings. The Gators have won 11 consecutive home games over the Razorbacks, with an 11-2 record in Gainesville.

The last time the two teams met, Florida took the SEC opener at Arkansas 81-72. The victory was led by KeVaughn Allen’s 21 points.

The Gators look to get back on track with a win and not let the loss at Kentucky carry over. If Florida can grab two more wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt this week, it will become just the third team in program history to reach 25 regular season wins.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.