Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Lipscomb Bison Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 16th 2023

There’s plenty of time for Arkansas basketball to figure things out, but coach Eric Musselman wants it to happen sooner instead of later.

The Razorbacks were a Top 25 team when the season started but have fallen out of the rankings after starting the season 6-4, including a 79-70 loss Dec. 9 to Oklahoma that saw Musselman get ejected on two technicals with 15:50 left.

Arkansas will try to get back in the win column Saturday when it plays Lipscomb in a nonconference game in North Little Rock, Ark.

“The team right now is not playing with the same personality as our teams the past four years,” Musselman said after the loss to Oklahoma.

“We’ve got to get a lot better. I think we play three games in the next 20 days. Rotations, roles, all those things … there’s going to be some changes.”

The Razorbacks, who are 3-4 in their past seven games, are led offensively by Khalif Battle at 16.4 points per game. Tramon Mark adds 16 ppg and Trevon Brazile is at 10.2, but both are being slowed by injuries. Mark is battling through back and hip issues.

As for Lipscomb (7-5), it’s coming off a 78-71 home win Sunday in Nashville against cross-town rival Tennessee State. The Bisons got 19 points and eight rebounds from guard Will Pruitt and 15 points from guard Joe Anderson.

Lipscomb’s strength is on the offensive end. It averages 80.3 ppg and boasts a solid shooting slash line of .479/.360/.734, all top 100 marks in Division I. The Bisons play one of the quickest offensive tempos in Division I, according to kenpom.com at 15.3 seconds per possession, which is 33rd out of 362 teams.

Derrin Boyd leads the team in scoring at 17.3 ppg but didn’t play against Tennessee State after suffering a hand injury in a loss to Belmont. Boyd will miss several weeks.

Arkansas has won both meetings of the programs, including an 86-50 decision three years ago in Fayetteville.

–Field Level Media