3 things to know about Razorbacks

COLLEGE STATION — After a week that included back-to-back wins, Texas A&M basketball hits the road Wednesday seeking a potentially signature victory at Arkansas.

The Aggies (19-8, 9-5 SEC) took down Ole Miss last Wednesday and then Oklahoma on the road Saturday to complete a season sweep over the Sooners. About two weeks ago, A&M was leading the conference; now they’re alone in third place, three games behind Florida. The Oklahoma win was a Quad 1 victory, but more importantly, A&M avoided a loss to a conference opponent near the bottom of the standings.

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As of Tuesday, the Aggies were a nine-seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology, one seed up from where he had them a few days prior.

They must avoid a collapse down the stretch with winnable games ahead, but A&M appears to be trending in the right direction. Arkansas (20-7, 10-4) has won four of its last five games and looks to be a virtual lock for a spot in the field.

Will Texas A&M make it three in a row against a top-tier SEC team? Here are three things to know about the Razorbacks, plus a prediction of Texas A&M vs. Arkansas:

Arguably, no SEC team has been better offensively than Arkansas. The Razorbacks are third in scoring, averaging 89.9 points, while shooting a league-best 50.5% from the field and 37.9% from beyond the arc. They’re also first in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.94), third in assists (17.3 per game), and fourth in turnover margin (2.77).

One weakness that has hindered Arkansas is on the glass: It’s 14th in the SEC in rebounds (35.9 per game) and eighth in opponent rebounds (34.5 per game).

MORE: Aggies down Sooners on the road

Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. has taken the SEC by storm, averaging a conference-high 22.2 points. He’s also averaging a team-high 34.6 minutes, with 3.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists, while shooting 44.1% from 3-point range.

The 6-foot-3 Detroit native has eclipsed 20 points 18 times and is just a week removed from scoring 49 points on 59.3% shooting from the field against Alabama. In 14 SEC games, Acuff is averaging 25.3 points and hasn’t scored fewer than 17 points in a conference game.

It’s just Year 2 for Arkansas under head coach John Calipari, but it’s perhaps already fair to say it’s been nothing short of a success for the Razorbacks under the veteran coach.

Calipari inherited a team with only two players on the roster last season and still went 22-14, earning a 10-seed and making it all the way to the Sweet 16. This year’s team appears to be a shoo-in for a spot in the Field of 68, with one of the best teams in a premier conference.

The parallels between last year’s Arkansas team and this year’s A&M team are clear. Head coach Bucky McMillan joined the Aggies with just one scholarship athlete and now has them on the verge of an NCAA Tournament appearance in Year 1 as well. There is still work to be done for McMillan and A&M this season, but Wednesday’s game against the Razorbacks serves as a blueprint for what could be possible in Year 2 in Aggieland.

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Texas A&M, 93-91. The Aggies have yet to capture a true signature win, and with the chances to do so dwindling, the time may be now. The Razorbacks will be a handful, and dealing with Acuff and his league-leading scoring will be no small task. Still, the teams that have given A&M problems this year rebound well, and that isn’t Arkansas’ strong suit. It may stay within two or three possessions for much of the game, but the Aggies find a way to walk out of Fayetteville, Ark., with a big-time win.

Reach Texas A&M beat reporter Tony Catalina via email at Anthony.Catalina@statesman.com.