Smallish Vols bring feistiness

Kentucky guard Jamal Murray (23) drives against Tennessee guard Kevin Punter (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson looks well beyond Tennessee's 11-11 record and its undersized personnel when he evaluates the Volunteers, who take on the Razorbacks tonight at 7 at Walton Arena.

Anderson sees a team that has been competitive on a game-by-game basis and is capable of scoring sprees that are largely the result of Coach Rick Barnes' trapping, pressure defense.

Arkansas men vs. Tennessee

WHEN 7 p.m. today

WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville

RECORDS Arkansas 11-11, 4-5 SEC; Tennessee 11-11, 4-5

SERIES Tennessee leads 19-16

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

TELEVISION SEC Network

TICKETS $30 lower level, $25 upper level

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

TENNESSEE

POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Kevin Punter, 6-2, Sr. 23.1 3.6 G Devon Baulkman, 6-4, Sr. 8.7 3.5 F Armani Moore, 6-4, Sr. 10.2 8.2 F Admiral Schofield, 6-5, Fr. 7.1 4.0 F Kyle Alexander, 6-9, Fr. 1.3 2.5 COACH Rick Barnes (11-11 in first season at Tennessee, 615-325 in 29 seasons overall). ARKANSAS

POS. NAME, HT, YR PPG RPG G Anthlon Bell, 6-3, Sr. 16.7 3.0 G Jabril Durham, 6-1, Sr. 6.4 3.3 G Dusty Hannahs, 6-3, Jr. 17.2 2.5 G Manny Watkins, 6-3, Jr. 5.7 3.2 F Moses Kingsley, 6-10, Jr. 16.4 9.4 COACH Mike Anderson (97-59 in five seasons at Arkansas, 297-157 in 14 seasons overall)

TEAM COMPARISON

TENN ARK 77.7 Points for 81.6 75.9 Points against 76.0 -1.9 Rebound margin +1.0 +1.5 Turnover margin +3.2 42.3 FG pct. 46.0 33.3 3-pt pct. 42.7 75.0 FT pct. 71.3

CHALK TALK Arkansas’ Moses Kingsley is 1 of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presents to the nation’s top center. Last season’s inaugural winner was Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky. ... Tennessee is 1-6 on the road this season. The Volunteers won 80-75 at Mississippi State. ... Arkansas has won three in a row over Tennessee in Fayetteville. The Vols’ last victory at Walton Arena was 74-72 in 2009.... Tennessee is shooting 83.1 percent on free throws in SEC play (172 of 207) to lead the conference. ... Tonight will be the third time Rick Barnes has brought a team into Walton Arena. His Texas teams were 1-1 at Arkansas, losing 67-61 during the 2008-2009 season and winning 96-85 during the 2009-2010 season.

— Bob Holt

"They're just really getting after it," Anderson said. "They're disruptive on defense, have quick hands, and they're quick to the ball.

"They're short, but they're one of the better rebounding teams, and they're blocking shots."

Arkansas players Jabril Durham and Anthlon Bell preview the Razorbacks' upcoming game against Tennessee.

Players - Tennessee Preview

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Arkansas and Tennessee will enter the game with identical records, 11-11 overall and 4-5 in the SEC. Both teams are also 1-6 in road games but have been on the brink of notching several SEC road victories.

The Razorbacks, coming off an 87-83 loss at Florida on Wednesday, had good shots at upending LSU and Georgia on the road. They've lost their last three SEC road games by a combined nine points and had last-second shots to beat or tie LSU and Georgia.

"We've been down this road a lot lately ... and we've got to get past the hump. We're right there every game," Arkansas guard Jabril Durham said.

"We're playing good basketball, but we've got to play winning basketball," Anderson said. "Offensively, we're scoring but I think with our defense we've got to trend people down in terms of scoring and some of the percentages they're shooting."

Tennessee's recent results have featured wild swings of momentum. The Volunteers blew a 15-point lead with 14 minutes left in a 63-57 loss to Alabama, then saw a 14-point halftime lead evaporate in a 75-63 loss at TCU in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Jan. 30.

Tennessee looked like toast when it trailed No. 20 Kentucky 34-13 late in the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena on Tuesday. But the Vols closed the half with a 23-8 run to close within six points, then outscored the Wildcats 48-35 in the second half to notch an 84-77 upset.

"They just got in the trenches and just dug down and guarded them," Anderson said. "They were active. They're small in size, but they're big in fight. They'll get to the ball, double up, rotate and they rebound. I think they just outhustled them, outplayed them, attacked them."

Senior Kevin Punter, a 6-2 guard, leads the Vols and ranks second in the SEC in scoring with 23.1 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting. Freshman Admiral Schofield is typically the Vols' tallest starter at 6-5. Senior Armani Moore, a 6-4 forward, averages 12.0 points and a team-high 3.9 assists per game.

"Knowing who we are and knowing how we have to play, we know going into every game that teams are going to try and work us inside," Barnes said. "Why wouldn't they?

"We don't have a large margin of error, and we do know that we have to make people uncomfortable and not give up much space around the basket and we have trouble when people play over the top of us, but there isn't much we can do about that."

The Hickory, N.C., native has produced 19 20-victory seasons and 22 NCAA Tournament appearances during stints at Texas, Clemson, Providence and George Mason in his 30-year head coaching career.

Barnes said it's been a long time since he had a team without a big front court. The Volunteers' tallest player, 6-9 freshman Kyle Alexander, averages 1.3 points and 10.4 minutes per game.

"We knew coming in that we weren't going to have a chance to have a front line," Barnes said. "We knew from the beginning that we were going to have to play four perimeter players."

Punter, who has had to assume point guard duties, is one of several Vols playing out of position.

"I think he knows this is his team," Anderson said. "He's more comfortable. Obviously, he's shooting the ball well, but he's creating off the dribble as well, and he's playing with a lot of confidence."

Anthlon Bell, who became the 39th member of the Razorbacks' 1,000-point club with 24 points at Florida, said Tennessee's style is reflective of Arkansas' and should make for an intriguing battle of wills.

"We're going to prepare for the press and the half court, and if they want to come in and press, make it an up-and-down game, you know we'll welcome that because that's just the way we play," Bell said. "It's the way we play every day."

The Razorbacks and Volunteers had a rare three-game series last season, with Arkansas coming out on top. The teams split five-point decisions at home -- Tennessee winning 74-69 in Knoxville, Tenn., and Arkansas winning 69-64 at Walton Arena -- and the Razorbacks prevailed 80-72 in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal in Nashville, Tenn.

Sports on 02/06/2016