Hogs open run at SEC Tournament today

Hogs open run at SEC Tournament today

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 9 seed Arkansas men’s basketball team will make its 25th SEC Tournament appearance Thursday afternoon, taking on No. 8 seed Florida at Bridgestone Arena. Tip-off is set for noon CT on SEC Network.

Tip-off: Thursday, March 10 at noon CT Location: Bud Walton Arena (Nashville, Tenn.) TV: SEC Network | WatchESPN Talent: Brad Nessler (PXP), Sean Farnham (Analyst), Shannon Spake (Sideline) The Opponent

• The Gators are 18-13 on the year with a 9-9 record in SEC play. Florida and Arkansas tied conference marks to fall in the No. 8 and 9 seeds in the 2016 SEC Tournament. The Gators defeated the Razorbacks 87-83 in the teams’ only meeting this season in the O’Connell Center on Feb. 3. Since then, Florida has gone 3-6, including losses in four of its last five games. The lone win was an 82-72 victory over Missouri in the team’s regular-season finale on Saturday.

• Florida’s rotation boasts six players averaging 22plus minutes and 7.5-plus points per game, led by redshirt senior forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who averages 15 points and 8.2 rebounds. Freshman guard – and Little Rock native – KeVaughn Allen is tied for second on the team with redshirt sophomore forward John Egbunu in scoring with 11.5 points per contest. The Gators are second in the SEC with 40 rebounds per game and third in the conference at 13.2 offensive rebounds per contest.

• Head coach Mike White is in his first season at Florida, and has a 119-53 (.692) record in four-plus seasons, combined with his career at Louisiana Tech. With the Bulldogs, White coached three 27-plus win teams in a row. He had a 50-16 (.758) record in four years of Conference USA play and won three-consecutive regular season titles. Louisiana Tech never made the NCAA Tournament in White’s regime, but made NIT Quarterfinal appearances in 2014 and 2015.

SEC Tournament Facts

• Arkansas is making its 25th SEC Tournament appearance where it has an all-time record of 22-23, including a berth in the championship game last season.

• The Razorbacks are 1-3 all-time against Florida in the SEC Tournament and will be the No. 9 seed for the second time in school history.

• Arkansas is 2-4 in the SEC Tournament since the league went away from divisions after the 2010-11 season.

• Arkansas won its only SEC Tournament championship in 2000 as the No. 3 seed, defeating Georgia, Kentucky, LSU and Auburn to capture the title.

The winner advances to play Texas A& M at noon CT on SEC Network.

By David Beall UA Media Relations