Saturday will mark the proverbial rubber match in the short-lived Crimson & Cardinal Classic between Arkansas and No. 19 Oklahoma.
The annual neutral-site rivalry game at Tulsa’s BOK Center has taken place for the past two seasons, with each team winning a game. As Oklahoma transitions into the SEC next summer, this will be the final non-conference game between the two traditional programs.
The Razorbacks and Sooners have played 30 times throughout history, with Arkansas holding a 17-13 advantage, which also includes a 6-1 advantage on a neutral court.
The BOK Center is nearly the halfway point between the two schools. The Arkansas campus is 116 miles from Tulsa, while Oklahoma is 125 miles away.
Oklahoma won the inaugural Crimson & Cardinal Classic, 88-66, two years ago, in a game most remembered by Eric Musselman disputing a call and having to be removed from the court by his staff. The Razorbacks bounced back last year with an 88-78 victory, led by Ricky Council’s 26 points and a 24-8 Hog run midway thorough the game.
Arkansas (6-3) began this season ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25, but fell out after losses to UNC-Greensboro, Memphis and North Carolina. The Hogs have regrouped since then with an 80-75 win over then No. 7 Duke and a 97-83 win over Furman, both in Bud Walton Arena.
Oklahoma (8-0) began the season unranked, but after a a perfect run out of the gate now finds itself ranked No. 19.
“I would say that all preseason polls are so meaningless, in football, basketball,” Musselman said. “Because you just don’t know about chemistry, you don’t know how pieces are going to fit together, everyone’s rosters are fluctuating,
“I love what Coach (Porter) Moser has done. I think he’s done an incredible job. They have some returners that are key pieces.”
The Razorbacks may be without the services of leading rebounder Trevon Brazile, who suffered a severe ankle sprain in the win over Furman, but leading scorer Tramon Mark was able to log 26 minutes against the Paladins, scoring seven points after injuring his back on a hard fall in the loss to North Carolina.
Along with Mark, the Razorbacks will again rely on the team’s second-leading scorer, senior Khalif Battle, who has already led the team in scoring five times this season.
The Temple transfer has added a dynamic to this year’s squad that keeps opponents off balance. He scored a game-high 21 against Duke, then poured in 25 in the win over Furman.
“One, he can get his shot off real quick and can elevate over people, and if you crowd him he is going to take the ball to the basket and draw free-throws attempted,” Musselman said. “So, when you have a guy who can shoot, dribble and draw FTAs it makes him hard to guard. And he has deep range.”
Saturday’s game will tip-off at 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.