Series sweep boosts Hogs in 3 key categories

Arkansas shortstop Casey Martin throws out a runner during a game against Tennessee on Sunday, April 28, 2019, in Fayetteville.

— Arkansas' weekend sweep of Tennessee was worth a bump in the national rankings, RPI and the SEC standings.

The Razorbacks (34-11, 15-6 SEC) are ranked No. 6 this week in the USA Today coaches' poll, up one spot from last week and their highest ranking of the season. Tennessee fell five positions to No. 23.

Other SEC teams ranked this week are: Vanderbilt (2), Mississippi State (7), Georgia (8), LSU (14), Ole Miss (15), Texas A&M (17) and Missouri (25).

Arkansas fares even better in the national RPI that helps determine seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks jumped from No. 8 to No. 3 in RPI over the weekend, according to WarrenNolan.com, trailing only UCLA and Vanderbilt.

Georgia (4), Mississippi State (5) and Tennessee (8) also fare well in the latest RPI. The Razorbacks are 7-2 against Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Tennessee in the past three weeks.

This week provides an opportunity for Arkansas to strengthen its RPI, but also some chances for a slip up. The Razorbacks are scheduled to play Grambling State on Tuesday in North Little Rock - although a chance for thunderstorms could threaten the game - then three games at Kentucky.

A loss to Grambling or a series loss at Kentucky would be damaging to Arkansas' RPI, but the Razorbacks would likely benefit from a 3-1 week if it included a weekend series win over the Wildcats. Neutral-site and road wins are valuable to the RPI calculation, while road losses are not as damaging as home losses.

Plus, despite its 22-22 overall and 5-16 SEC record, Kentucky remains No. 43 in RPI and counts as a Quadrant 1 opponent. Grambling (23-20) is a Quadrant 4 opponent because of its RPI No. 244.

While RPI rankings are used to determine quadrants, the quadrants don't factor into the RPI calculation. Instead, quadrant records are used as additional data points for the NCAA Tournament selection committee when determining seeds and regional hosts.

The Razorbacks have a 14-6 record right now against Q1 opponents. If the season were to end today, Arkansas would be a regional host and the Razorbacks likely would be a top-eight national seed.

Arkansas needs a strong weekend against Kentucky to strengthen its chances at a conference or division championship. The Razorbacks moved into a tie with Vanderbilt for the overall lead in the conference, and are two games ahead of Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU in the SEC West standings.

LSU and Ole Miss play one another this weekend in Baton Rouge, La. Mississippi State travels to Texas A&M, which is a half-game back of second place in the division. Vanderbilt is at struggling South Carolina.

The Razorbacks end the season with series against LSU at home and at Texas A&M.

Arkansas tied for the division championship last year, but the Razorbacks have not won a conference championship since 2004.