The numbers work for Arkansas on Wednesday. The question is whether the Razorbacks will continue to defy predictions.
Hogs faithful are hoping not as Missouri visits Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night. Arkansas sits winless in SEC play after dropping its first three conference contests of the year and five of its last six games overall. Coach Eric Musselman’s team was projected to win all three of its SEC-opening games as recently as mid-December.
When the Tigers visit, the Razorbacks will have a 89.7% chance to exit their home arena with a first win, per ESPN’s matchup predictor. Going further, the site’s Basketball Power Index ranks Arkansas as the No. 49 team in the nation while Missouri is slotted at No. 189.
Not only is the advantage far and wide for the Razorbacks, but the placing inside the top 50 suggests with a return to form, Arkansas would not be far off an NCAA Tournament berth.
The teams are placed similarly in the KenPom.com rankings. Those are largely considered one of the best when it comes to predicting postseason chances. There, the Razorbacks are 54th while Missouri is 149th.
An Arkansas win almost certainly wouldn’t lift the Razorbacks to the top 40, a loss would almost certainly send them careening to a point where even the most optimistic of rallies may not be enough to recover a lost season.