Arkansas Razorbacks: 23-11, 10-8 in the SEC
Head coach: Mike Anderson (7th season)
Players to watch: Jaylen Barford (18.0 PPG, 43.6 3PT%); Daryl Macon (16.9 PPG, 42.9 3PT%); Daniel Gafford (11.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG)
Season recap: After a tough 2015-16 campaign, the Razorbacks have rebounded with two strong seasons, this time on the back of two senior guards.
Barford and Macon have been lights-out from deep for Arkansas, helping it surge late in the season after a rocky start to conference play. The Razorbacks dropped three of their first four SEC contests, all against unranked competition, but have won eight of their last 11.
Arkansas owns wins against then-No. 14 Auburn, then-No. 14 Minnesota, then-No. 19 Tennessee and then-No. 21 Texas A&M, but has played down to its competition at times. Only one of its 10 regular season losses came against ranked teams this year. But in the SEC tournament, it got a big victory vs. Florida, topping the Gators 80-72.
The Razorbacks are among the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, but has struggled on defense at times—which has cost them on off shooting nights.
How they make a run: Arkansas gets scorching hot from deep, helping it mask its defensive woes, sending it on a surprise deep run in the tournament.
How they falter: The Razorbacks look past an early-round opponent and fail to bring their best effort, getting burned on defense and not shooting well enough to compensate, sending them home quickly.
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Managing Editor 2018-19, 2019-2020 Features & Investigations Editor
A member of the class of 2020 hailing from San Mateo, Calif., Ben is The Chronicle's Towerview Editor and Investigations Editor. Outside of the Chronicle, he is a public policy major working towards a journalism certificate, has interned at the Tampa Bay Times and NBC News and frequents Pitchforks.