Arkansas @ Texas A&M
The 2023-2024 season has been one to forget for Eric Musselman and Arkansas. Arkansas started the season as No.14 in the AP poll. The Razorbacks entered Tuesday’s contest against Texas A&M at No. 136 in the NET rankings. They could have called it quits with a chance at the NCAA Tournament fully relying on an SEC Tournament championship. Instead, they knocked off A&M, a team on the bubble according to ‘Joey Brackets,’ in a hostile road environment. Each tightly contested game down the stretch provides Musselman’s incredibly young group with chances to grow.
Houston transfer Tramon Mark led the way to the 78-71-win last night for Arkansas. Mark started his collegiate career with Houston. Mark showed flashes, but he never fully put it together with the Cougars. Everything has clicked for Mark this season. The 6-6 junior scores 17.2 per night and simply dominated the Aggies this season. Mark dropped 35 in a one-point victory over A&M on January 16th.
Arkansas’s second leading scorer transferred from Temple. Khalif Battle has seen ups and downs throughout his career. He decided to transfer from Butler following his freshman year. Battle played three seasons with Temple averaging over 30 minutes a game but started just 19 of those 45 games. Battle has shown more inconsistency this season. However, he’s shown up big when it matters, scoring 15 vs A&M, and dropping 21 on Duke in Arkansas’s sole Quad 1 win.
All hope is not lost for Aggie fans. A&M fell just five spots in the NET rankings to 50. They still have three Quad 1 wins which include a non-conference victory over No.6 Iowa State. A Quad 3 loss at home to a struggling Arkansas team is a major blow to A&M’s tournament hopes. However, two Quad 1 games remain for the Aggies and provide them with a perfect opportunity to boost their stock.
Head coach Buzz Williams recruited transfer guard Jace Carter following a great season at UIC. Carter averaged 16.6 points and seven rebounds per night and played over 35 minutes a game last season. Jace getting back to the way he played with the Flames would be a huge boost for Williams and co. He has shown flashes. In fact, he scored a season high 14 in Tuesday’s defeat. However, Carter needs to be more consistent for the Aggies to make a run.
Road games against Tennessee and Ole Miss will be crucial for A&M. The Aggies likely need a win in at least one of those games. Texas A&M has struggled in tough road games and will need to have their ‘A’ game away from home with an at-large bid potentially on the line.
