The revamped No. 14 Arkansas basketball team will play the second of it’s season-opening four-game home stand Friday night, as the senior-laden Razorbacks welcome familiar-foe Gardner-Webb back to Bud Walton Arena for a 7 p.m. tip.
The Razorbacks (1-0) defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs, 86-69, in an early-season clash two years ago, although there is only one holdover that played in that game for Arkansas. Devo Davis, who was just a sophomore, had 10 points, six assists and three rebounds in that win.
Gardner-Webb (1-0) opened its season Monday night with a 98-58 win over Division-II Erskine College, draining 14 three-pointers along the way. Five players scored in double figures for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, led by Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II and Brendan Mykalcio with 15 each off the bench. Mykalcio, a 6-foot-7 junior, added a game-high 11 rebounds, six on the offensive end.
The Razorbacks rolled to a 93-59 win over Alcorn State in their opener. A pair of new faces helped propel the Hogs, as Temple transfer Khalif Battle led Arkansas with 21 points, off the bench, and Houston transfer Tramon Mark added 16. Battle is 108 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career, while Davis is only 54 points shy of 1,000 for his career, all with the Hogs.
After having just four seniors on the roster a year ago, Arkansas now has nine seniors or graduates this season, all with quality Division-I experience.
Arkansas is 2-0 all-time against the Big South Conference program, having also defeated the Runnin’ Bulldogs 79-63 in 2004. The Hogs were then led by guard Ronnie Brewer, who is now on the team’s coaching staff.
“Having played against them, we felt like they were really well coached,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said about the Runnin’ Bulldogs. “They understood their roles, and they have an opportunity to potentially win their league.. Like I said, they have a talented guard I know, as a staff, we’ve already been talking about him.”
The Razorbacks will focus on containing 6-foot-1 guard DQ Nicholas, a second-team all-conference performer a year ago, and Gardner-Webb’s floor leader. Nicholas had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists in just 24 minutes against Erskine.
This is the first of a four-game road swing for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, who will next head to Waco, Tex., to face No. 20 Baylor on Sunday.
Arkansas will host two more mid-majors over the next week – Old Dominion and UNC Greensboro – before heading to the Bahamas for the Thanksgiving break to play in the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Razorbacks will open the invitational against Stanford on Nov. 22.
