Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey has already seen what Mississippi State can do when they get hot from the outside.

The Razorbacks were riding high when the two teams squared off for the first time on Jan. 10 in the conference opener for both schools. Arkansas was 12-1 and on a 10-game winning streak before the Bulldogs went into Bud Walton Arena and came away with a 70-56 win.

"Last time we played Mississippi State they were awesome in transition," Pelphrey said. "They really shot the basketball well from the 3-point line. They have a great one in (Jarvis) Varnado,they have an All-SEC coach in Rick Stansbury and now we get to deal with Humphrey Coliseum. It's a big challenge for us and we are looking forward to it. We'd like to be able to get our first SEC road win."

Since the loss to MSU, the Razorbacks have struggled. Arkansas has lost seven of its last eight games including a heartbreaking 74-72 loss to Tennessee on Wednesday.

Pelphrey knows his team will have to play much better basketball than it did the first time against the Bulldogs to be able to pull the upset in Starkville tomorrow.

"We know if we don't play well then we certainly don't have much of a chance," Pelphrey said. "Last time they defended us very well and we didn't make any shots. That really put them out in transition where they were extremely fast. They are as fast or faster than anybody we've played in this league or all season for that matter. I think we have a tremendous amount of respect for the Bulldogs coming in."

One players that has emerged for Pelphrey's Razorbacks is freshman forward Jason Henry. The 6-foot-6, 189-pounder from West Memphis, Ark., is averaging 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and was a four-star recruit coming out of high.



...More... To continue reading this article you must be a member. Sign Up Now for a FREE Trial