FRIDAY, NOV. 14, 2014TV: 7 PM ET, SEC NETWORK
FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas -- Arkansas begins its quest for a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance Friday night when it hosts non-conference foe Southern University Jaguars to open the 2015-16 season. Unfortunately for coach Mike Anderson, the Razorbacks will open without their top three scorers from last season, including NBA first-round pick Bobby Portis (Chicago Bulls).
Still, with Anderson's uptempo offensive philosophy and full-court pressure, Arkansas will still be a tough team to beat, especially in the early going as teams are just getting into form.
The Jaguars of the Southwestern Athletic Conference are coming off a season that saw them come within four points of an NCAA Tournament berth, falling to Texas Southern in the conference championship game. Southern returns two of its top three scorers from a year ago, but it won't be easy for them to keep pace with the high-scoring Razorbacks. Arkansas averaged 78 points last season and with Anderson calling the shots, the team's style won't change even if the personnel has.
ABOUT SOUTHERN (2014-15: 18-16):
Typical of many teams from the SWAC, Southern will play much of its early-season schedule on the road against much bigger schools. Last year, the Jaguars lost their first eight road games, losing seven of them by 10 points or more. But coach Roman Banks is hoping to be more competitive in the early going this year, with a veteran backcourt duo of Adrian Rodgers (13.3 ppg) and coach's son Trelun Banks (10.3) leading the way.
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