Tennessee @ Arkansas preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 11, 2020 ) Arkansas 61, Tennessee 82

Arkansas looks for a second straight victory following a five-game losing streak when it hosts Tennessee in an SEC contest Wednesday. The Razorbacks snapped their skid with a victory over Missouri on Saturday, while the Volunteers come in off a loss at Auburn on the same day.

Tennessee has been consistently inconsistent in February, alternating wins and losses through the month's first seven contests. Jordan Bowden leads the offensive charge for the Volunteers with 13.6 points per game, and he's coming off a 28-point outing in the loss to Auburn. The Razorbacks have one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league in guard Mason Jones, who leads the team in scoring (20.5 points), rebounding (5.9), assists (3.4) and steals (1.6). Arkansas got a big boost with the return of guard Isaiah Joe to the lineup for the win over Missouri, as he scored a game-high 21 points in his first game after knee surgery that forced him out for five straight contests (all losses).

TIME: 8:30 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT TENNESSEE (15-12, 7-7 SEC): Heading into the final couple of weeks of the regular season, freshman guard Josiah-Jordan James is still trying to live up to the expectations placed on him when he joined the Volunteers as a five-star recruit. James is averaging 7.3 points and shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point range, but coach Rick Barnes wants more out of James. Barnes has been pleading with the freshman to look for his shot more often, especially since he returned from a groin injury three games ago, as he's averaged just 4.3 points since coming back.

ABOUT ARKANSAS (17-10, 5-9): While the Razorbacks would have rather had Joe in the lineup for the five games he missed, his absence did help Adrio Bailey step forward a bit as an offensive threat. The hope of coach Eric Musselman is that Bailey will continue to be assertive offensively even with Joe back from his injury after Bailey averaged 10.6 points during the five-game stretch after scoring 10 points just once in the first 54 career conference games. Bailey hit 8-of-14 from 3-point range over those five games, while the rest of the team hit just 19-of-73 from beyond the arc, and he should get even more chances with Joe drawing defensive attention.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bowden currently has a streak of 20 straight free throws made.

2. Arkansas leads the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 25.5 percent from beyond the arc.

3. Tennessee holds a slight edge in the all-time series between the schools, 22-20, including an 82-61 victory in Knoxville on Feb. 11.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 76, Tennessee 68