Texas Southern @ Arkansas preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 30, 2011 ) Texas Southern 49, Arkansas 77

After opening the four-game Collegiate Hoops Roadshow on Saturday with a resounding 64-46 triumph over Montana, Arkansas next takes on winless Texas Southern on Tuesday night in the fourth of five straight home games for Eric Musselman's squad. The Razorbacks are doing it with defense - the nation's third-best scoring unit (44 points allowed per game) - and have yet to give up more than 46 points in a game, the first time since the 1945-46 season that they have held their first three opponents under 50 points.

"We take pride in it," said Arkansas senior forward Adrio Bailey, who earned his first career double-double with 12 points and a personal-best 11 rebounds against Montana. "We decided to have fun with it. They always say defense leads to offense, so we play defense first and the offense just comes." The Razorbacks are playing tight "D" from the opening tip, not allowing any of their first three opponents to score more than 20 points in the first half, and overall, the Razorbacks have allowed just 132 points in three games (43, 43, 46), the school's lowest point total through three contests since they yielded 122 to start the 1946-47 season. "They've really bought in to the game plan defensively," said Musselman, who is in his first season as head coach at Arkansas. "Hopefully, we can keep buying in on a nightly basis, but I think they really like playing defense. I think they've really quickly got a grasp of what we're trying to do defensively. I think contesting shots and understanding the importance of every defensive possession, they've been really, really good so far." Texas Southern comes in averaging only 58 points per game, but the Tigers have increased their scoring with each outing after Friday's 88-69 Collegiate Road Show loss at South Dakota.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network Plus

ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN (0-3): Point guard Tyrik Armstrong is the only Tiger to start every game this season and leads the team in assists (eight) and steals (four) as well as turnovers (seven) and is one of three players scoring in double-digits (10.3 ppg). Texas Southern is hitting just 33.2 percent of its shots from the floor and 28.6 from beyond the arc, with John Jones leading the team with four 3-pointers in 13 attempts. Justin Hopkins (15), John Walker III (14) and Eden Ewing (14) top the Tigers in rebounds, but the team has been outrebounded in every game.

ABOUT ARKANSAS (3-0): While the defense has been stifling, junior guard Mason Jones has been lighting it up offensively, pacing the team in scoring each game for an average of 22.3 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting. Sophomore guard Isaiah Joe (16.3) is the only other Razorback in double figures as the team struggled with its worst offensive showing against Montana, hitting just 37 percent of its shots from the field and 20 percent (4-of-20) from long distance. The Razorbacks defense has been particularly tough on 3-point shooters, allowing them to score on just 10.3 percent of their long-distance shots - third best in the nation.

TIP-INS

1. In three games, Arkansas has only trailed for 45 seconds.

2. The Razorbacks have not allowed an opponent to make more than two 3-pointers in a game this season.

3. Jones is a perfect 21-of-21 from the free-throw line and has made 30 straight dating back to last season.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 70, Texas Southern 43