Khalif Battle returns to practice as Hogs get ready for No. 25 Auburn

Arkansas’ second-leading scorer appears to be back healthy as Hogs gear up for tough SEC opener vs. No. 25 Auburn.

Arkansas guard [autotag]Khalif Battle[/autotag] returned to practice this week after tweaking his ankle in last Saturday’s 106-90 win over UNC-Wilmington.

With 4:53 left in the first half of the team’s final non-conference contest last week, Battle exited the game after landing awkwardly during a fast break. He did not return to the game and missed practice on Monday.

However, Battle was able to go through both of the team’s practice sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag].

“Yeah, so, (Khalif) did not practice on Monday,” said Musselman on Wednesday afternoon. “We did go two practices yesterday, we went two practices today – although the format was a little bit different today than what it was yesterday and what it was last week. He did go through both practices yesterday and today.”

So far this season, Battle has averaged 14.3 points of the bench, which is second on the team. He’s also shooting an efficient 40.2% from the field and 42.1% from three.

Having a healthy Battle in the lineup is crucial as Arkansas opens SEC play with 25th-ranked Auburn visiting Bud Walton Arena.

Tip-off is scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2.