FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas basketball team will play its first game in Walton Arena in three weeks when the Razorbacks open the SEC schedule against Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
"The crowds have been great at home," Coach Eric Musselman said after the Razorbacks won 71-64 at Indiana on Sunday. "I think Bud Walton is going to be rocking. I can't wait to be on the sidelines coaching these guys."
Arkansas (11-1) has averaged 13,470 in announced attendance for its eight games in Walton Arena -- all victories -- with a high of 17,274 for the season opener when the Razorbacks beat Rice 91-43.
Saturday night's game likely will have the largest crowd this season with it being announced as a sellout two days before the Razorbacks played Indiana.
"We're excited to get back to work and get ready for A&M," said Arkansas junior guard Mason Jones, who scored 21 points at Indiana, including hitting back-to-back three-pointers to give the Razorbacks a 67-62 lead after they trailed 61-52.
The Razorbacks last played in Walton Arena on Dec. 14 when Jones scored a career-high 41 points against Tulsa in a 98-79 Arkansas victory.
Musselman, hired at Arkansas in April after leading Nevada to a 110-34 record the previous four seasons, praised his players for making a quick transition to a new coaching staff.
"They've just done a great job of adapting to a new style and a new system, really on both sides of the ball," Musselman said. "We worked hard this summer on trying to implement stuff. We didn't want to continue to try and evolve in December and January. We wanted out of the gates to try and get in as many offensive sets as possible and to have defensive schemes in."
Arkansas became the first visiting team to beat Indiana, which had been 9-0 at home.
"It just gives us a big confidence boost," said sophomore guard Isaiah Joe, who led the Razorbacks with 24 points and five rebounds. "We're going to go into the SEC with a lot of confidence.
"But we know that this next week in practice, we've got to come out even harder than we did coming into this game. Because once conference starts, it's rolling. We're playing game after game after game, so we have to be ready to play at all times."
Texas A&M (6-5) has won three consecutive home games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 63-60, Oregon State 63-49 and Texas Southern 58-55 after losing four in a row at neutral sites to Harvard 62-51, Temple 65-42 and Fairfield 67-62 in Orlando, Fla., and to Texas 60-50 in Fort Worth.
Gonzaga, ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive week in The Associated Press poll, won 79-49 at Texas A&M on Nov. 15 when the Zags were ranked No. 8.
Texas Southern -- which lost 82-51 at Arkansas earlier this season -- trailed Texas A&M 56-54 Monday and had possession of the ball with 29 seconds left, but the Aggies held on to win when Tigers guard Tyrik Armstrong missed a jump shot in the lane. Savion Flagg grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made two free throws to finish with 18 points in the 58-55 victory.
The Aggies also have beaten Northwestern (La.) State 77-63, Louisiana-Monroe 63-57 and Troy 56-52.
"I don't know," Texas A&M Coach Buzz Williams sad to the media after the Texas Southern game when asked whether the Aggies are ready for SEC play. "We could have easily lost any guarantee game that we played.
"We can continue to say that, or we can turn it and say, 'Yeah, but we didn't.' There's something to be said for that."
Williams is in his first season at Texas A&M after leading Marquette and Virginia Tech to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in the previous 10 seasons.
"I think we have gained some traction relative to what we have to do in order to have a chance," Williams said. "We will not be favored to win a game the rest of the year."
Josh Nebo, a 6-9 senior, is averaging 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds to lead the Aggies. Flagg, a 6-7 junior, is averaging 11.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, and 6-4 junior guard Jay Jay Chandler is averaging 8.0 points.
Guard TJ Starks, who averaged 12.3 points and 3.9 assists for Texas A&M as a sophomore last season, no longer is with the team. He was suspended Nov. 14 after being charged with marijuana possession, and on Nov. 25 announced he was entering the transfer portal. He didn't play this season prior to his suspension because of an ankle injury.
Despite the Aggies' struggles, Musselman said the Razorbacks won't take Texas A&M lightly.
"We already know every conference game is hard," Musselman said. "Really hard, whether you're at home or on the road.
"But I think [winning at Indiana] gives our guys some confidence, and then we've got to handle the winning with great maturity as well. We've got to get back in the lab and get ready to try to break down Texas A&M."
Up next
ARKANSAS MEN VS. TEXAS A&M
WHEN 6 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 11-1, Texas A&M 6-5
RADIO Razorback Sports Network
TELEVISION SEC Network
ARKANSAS (11-1)
DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT
Nov. 5 Rice W, 91-43
Nov. 12 North Texas W, 66-43
Nov. 16 Montana+ W, 64-46
Nov. 19 Texas Southern+ W, 82-51
Nov. 22 South Dakota+ W, 77-56
Nov. 25 at Georgia Tech W, 62-61 (OT)
Nov. 30 N. Kentucky+ W, 66-60
Dec. 3 Austin Peay W, 69-61
Dec. 7 at W. Kentucky L, 86-79 (OT)
Dec. 14 Tulsa W, 98-79
Dec. 21 Valparaiso^ W, 72-68
Dec. 29 at Indiana W, 71-64
Jan. 4 Texas A&M* 6 p.m.
Jan. 8 at LSU* 8 p.m.
Jan. 11 at Mississippi* 5 p.m.
Jan. 15 Vanderbilt* 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 Kentucky* 3 p.m.
Jan. 22 at Mississippi State* 6 p.m.
Jan. 25 TCU# 3 p.m.
Jan. 29 South Carolina* 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 at Alabama* 5 p.m.
Feb. 4 Auburn* 6 p.m.
Feb. 8 at Missouri* 2:30 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Tennessee* 6 p.m.
Feb. 15 Mississippi State* noon
Feb. 18 at Florida* 6 p.m.
Feb. 22 Missouri* noon
Feb. 26 Tennessee* 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 29 at Georgia* 5 p.m.
Mar. 4 LSU* 6 p.m.
Mar. 7 at Texas A&M* 3:30 p.m.
Mar. 11-15 SEC Tournament, Nashville,
Tenn.
*SEC game
+Collegiate Hoops Roadshow
^at Simmons Bank Arena, North Little
Rock
#Big 12/SEC Challenge
Sports on 01/01/2020