HawgBeat – How to watch Arkansas-Illinois, scheduled lineups, more

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The Arkansas Razorbacks will attempt to start a third straight NCAA tournament run with a win over the Illinois Fighting Illini on Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

Arkansas, the 8-seed, has less experience than the 9-seed Illini when it comes to the postseason, but that’s not stopping him from having confidence.

“We’re just trying to teach these (younger) guys and want them to know it’s going to be difficult to get into this game, we know that.” said Vomte Davis. “Nobody wants to go home. So we just want to come in and play as hard as we can and execute safely. I think if we do that we can win. So the first game, just come in and play hard.”

Illinois is a long team playing physical basketball and putting up a tough matchup in the paint as the nation’s No. 2 team in blocks per game (5.7). The Illini also ranked No. 2 in the Big 10 and No. 29 in the country that season.

“They’re a great size and looking across the board they can block a shot in any position,” said head coach Eric Musselman. “That’s unique when you’re playing against a team where 1-5 shots can change and when you’re putting together a long roster that’s one of the things you want to do. That’s one of the perks you want to have, is trying to make people shoot over you.”

While the Illini have two transfers in Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor) that the Razorbacks have experience against in the NCAA tournament, the Hogs have two star freshmen in Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black who that can give illinois seizures.

“Nick is an outstanding goalscorer” This was announced by Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “He’s a capable guy who gets 20 every night he steps on the court. And he can do it in different ways. He can do it with catch and shoots, he can do it with the jump, they’re gonna put you in ball umbrellas.

“And Anthony does it in so many different ways. It’s got the length, it’s got the size, downhill it can overwhelm you with that length on the rim. He just has incredibly fast hands and can bother you with steals on the defensive side. Again, he’s a point of 6’6, 6’7, so they have great girth size with those two.”

The winner of Thursday’s matchup advances to the round of 32 and meets the winner of 1-Seed Kansas and 16-Seed Howard.

Here are the watch/listen details, notes, probable lineups, stats, odds and more for Thursday’s game between Arkansas and Illinois:

~ Arkansas received its 36th NCAA bid and third straight.

~ It’s the first time since 2006, ’07 and ’08 that the Hogs have played in three consecutive NCAA tournaments.

~ Arkansas advanced to the NCAA Elite 8 in each of the last two years. In 2021, Arkansas lost in the Elite 8 to eventual national champion Baylor. In 2022, Arkansas upset No. 1 overall Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 before falling to Duke in the Elite 8.

~ The Razorbacks own an all-time 48-34 record in NCAA tournament action.

~ This is the third time in program history that Arkansas has received an 8 seed. Arkansas won its 2017 NCAA opener as an 8-seed (versus Seton Hall). In 2006, as an 8-seed, Arkansas lost its opener to Bucknell.

~ Arkansas is 18-8 in first round games of the NCAA tournament (including a loss in a “second round game” in 2015 when the “first four” was considered the first round).

~ Arkansas and Illinois have met five times and the Illini have won all five. The first meeting (December 14, 1949) was played in Champaign, and the other four were played in a “home-and-home” match at neutral “home” locations (Little Rock for Arkansas and Chicago for Illinois) beginning in 2001 played four games -2004.

~ Arkansas has never played at Des Moines. Arkansas has only played Iowa State twice before, both in Ames against Iowa State. First, Arkansas lost to the Cyclones, 86-77, on December 14, 1970, and then to the ISU, 95-77, in the 2015 SEC Big 12 Challenge.

WHO: 8-seed Arkansas Razorbacks (20-13) vs. 9-seed Illinois Fighting Illini (20-12)

If: Thursday, March 16 at 3:30pm CT

Where: Des Moines, Iowa – Wells Fargo Arena (16,110)

TV: TBS (Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce)

Stream/Online: NCAA GAME CENTER

Radio: Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)

Matchday information and how to listen online/mobile: Razorback Gameday App

National Sirius/XM Broadcasting: 136 (Sirius) / 206 (XM) || SXM app: Channel 967

#0 – G Anthony Black – Fri, 6’7″, 198 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 34.7 min, 12.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 3.2 turnovers, 0.6 blocks, 46.5 fg%, 31.0 3fg%

#3 – G Nick Smith Jr. – Fri, 6’5″, 185 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 26.4 mins, 14.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.7 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 39.1 fg%, 34.4 3fg%

#4 – G Vomste Davis – Jr., 6’4″, 185 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 33.4 mins, 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 0.1 blocks, 41.2 fg%, 34.4 3fg%

#15 – F Makhi Mitchell – Sr., 6’9″, 230 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 20.3 min, 7.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.9 turnovers, 1.4 blocks, 66.7 fg%, 100 3fg%

#22 – F Makhel Mitchell – Sr., 6’10”, 240 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 14.1 min, 4.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.6 turnovers, 1.7 blocks, 63.5 fg%

#0 – G. Terrence Shannon Jr. – Sr., 6’6″, 225 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 32.1 min, 17.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.6 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 44.0 fg%, 32.7 3fg%

#15 – G RJ Melendez – Sun, 6’7″, 205 lbs.

2022-23 statistics per game: 21.4 min, 5.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 37.0 fg%, 25.3 3fg%

#24 – G/F Matthew Mayer – Size, 6’9″, 225 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 26.7 mins, 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.3 turnovers, 1.3 blocks, 41.4 fg%, 33.8 3fg%

#33 – F. Coleman Hawkins – Jr., 6’10”, 225 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 32.4 mins, 9.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.3 turnovers, 1.2 blocks, 44.4 fg%, 27.8 3fg%

#42 – F Dain Dainja – r-Sun., 6’9″, 270 lbs.

2022-23 stats per game: 20.5 min, 9.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.5 turnovers, 1.2 blocks, 63.7 fg%

Vegas: Arkansas is a 1.5 point favorite (BetSaracen)

ESPN: Arkansas has a 57.8% chance of winning

(some information courtesy of Arkansas and Illinois Communications)

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