The No. 1 Auburn Tigers remain atop the AP Poll for the sixth consecutive week after victories over Vanderbilt and the first ever SEC AP No. 1 versus No. 2 after a 94-85 victory over Alabama.
The Tigers will get an extra day's rest and start the final six games of conference play on Wednesday when Arkansas visits Neville Arena.
The Razorbacks started the season as the country's No. 16 team and remained in the AP poll for the first four weeks. However, they have not appeared since their No. 19 ranking in week four.
It is safe to say things have not gone as expected under first-year head coach John Capilari after he moved from Kentucky to Arkansas this offseason.
Arkansas is currently 15-10 and 4-8 in conference play, ranked 12th in the SEC. Three of the Hog's four conference wins were earned at home. The lone road win in conference play was a revenge upset over No. 12 Kentucky.
The Hogs are riding a one-game losing streak after a 69-61 loss to visiting No. 8 Texas A&M. They seek to stay on the right side of the March Madness tournament bubble.
Last season, the Tigers and Razorbacks met in the conference opener. Auburn defeated Arkansas 83-51, the largest margin of defeat the Razorbacks have ever suffered at home.
While Auburn won the last meeting, recent history has favored the Razorbacks. They have bested Auburn in 14 of the last 20 meetings and hold a 38-22 advantage against the Tigers.
However, Auburn holds a slight advantage over the Razorbacks, with a 15-13 lead on the Plains, and they defeated the Razorbacks in their last visit to Auburn in 2022, 72-59.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and Capilari have met over 20 times in Capilari’s 15 seasons spent with the Kentucky Wildcats, and he holds a 14-9 record against Pearl and a 15-6 record against Auburn.
The Tigers and Johni Broome will have their hands full against Zvonimir Ivisic, also known as “Big Z.” The 7-foot-2 center from Croatia has been on fire as of late and will pose a significant challenge to a tough Auburn defense.
In his last three games, Ivisic has averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks, all while shooting 58.8% on 3-point attempts. His ability to stretch the floor at his size while providing the Tigers a challenge they have yet to face.
Arkansas lost its star guard Boogie Fland after just 18 games into the season due to a hand injury, but D.J. Wagner has taken over for the Razorbacks and the ball-handling duties.
Wagner, a transfer from Kentucky, scored eight points against the Tigers when the Wildcats visited the Tigers in Neville Arena for a top-25 showdown last season.
The No. 1 Auburn Tigers look to close out SEC play strong and begin with the Arkansas Razorbacks and kick off a three-game home stand.
The game will be on Wednesday, 8 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Craig Noyes is a senior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @CraigNoyes58
