Basketball Hogs to be Tested by Northwestern State

The Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team hosts the Northwestern State Demons from Natchitoches, Louisiana tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena.

This game doesn’t promise to be a snoozer against the Louisiana directional school of the hour.  Out of the Missouri Valley Conference, NSU has a 5-3 record with losses to LSU by 7, Texas A&M by 13, and common opponent Oklahoma by 4 on November 30th.  The Hogs beat the Sooners in Fayetteville by 3 points a few days later on December 4th.

From the CBSSports.com RPI rankings, Northwestern State comes in at No. 71 with an RPI rating of 0.5675 and a strength of schedule rating of 0.5812. The Hogs come in at No. 125 with a 0.5253 rating for RPI and 0.5296 for SOS. (Thanks Shane Ethridge for the suggestion.)

The Demons average 86.3 points per game, second only to top scoring Indiana, while the Hogs come in at 7-4 ranked 10th nationally in scoring with an 82.5 average.  Defensively the teams are virtually the same.  Through December 23rd games, the Razorbacks allow 72.8 ppg while the Demons give up 74.6 points per outing.

B. J. Young and Marshawn Powell lead the Hogs in scoring, averaging 16.7 and 16.5 ppg respectively.  Along with Mardracus Wade, Young and Powell average more than 24 minutes per outing while Ky Madden averages close to 20 minutes per game and 6 other Hogs log more than 10.   The Demons’ DeQuan Hicks, Shamir Davis, and Jalan West average 14 points per game.  Add in James Hulbin and that foursome averages more than 20 points per game for NSU.  Six other Demon players average more than 10 minutes per game.

If there was ever a time for the Hog Defense to show up, it needs to be tonight. With NSU’s two SEC opponents so far, and add common opponent Oklahoma, this game will give Hog Fans some idea where the Razorbacks stand as they enter SEC play against Texas A&M in College Station on January 9, 2013.

Delaware St. on January 5th is the only game between.

Tickets and Television

According to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, “University of Arkansas students who do not have a student-access pass and wish to attend the game may purchase a ticket for $1, with a valid student ID, and get up to two guest tickets for $5 each at the East entrance to the arena with cash or check only. Junior Razorbacks will be granted free admission by showing their membership card and their guests may purchase $10 tickets at the East entrance to Bud Walton Arena…

The Razorback game against Northwestern State will be broadcast on the radio across the Razorback Sports Network from IMG College with Chuck Barrett and Rick Schaeffer giving the call. The game will also be carried live on the Razorback Sports Network with Scott Inman and former Razorback Blake Eddins on air. Fans can also view the live blog on ArkansasRazorbacks.com or watch the game on ESPN3.”