Georgia Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Pick

Georgia vs Arkansas Basketball Picks

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The SEC has been dominant in college football over the last few years, but there is no way to escape the truth that this conference is way down in college basketball right now. Georgia struggled to win in their non-conference schedule, and their relative strength inside the conference is a sign of the league’s weakness. Arkansas has been awful on the road and nearly unbeatable at home. Let’s take a closer look at this SEC battle.

Game Overview:

Georgia has been playing much better of late, and it does seem like this young Bulldogs team is starting to mature. Kentavius Caldwell-Pope is a definite star. The sophomore is second in the league in scoring 17.7 points per game. Caldwell-Pope has a bright NBA future ahead of him. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they really don’t have much help for him on offense. The Bulldogs second leading scorer averages 7.8 points per game. Long scoring draughts have hurt this team badly during their losses so far this year. Georgia averages just 59.6 points per game.

The Bulldogs are able to stay in most of their games because they play very good half court defense. Opponents knock down only 39.1 percent of their shots against this defense. Caldwell-Pope may be a guard, but he is also the team’s leading rebounder. He averages 6.6 rebounds per game. Georgia likes to slow the tempo down and play a low scoring game, but that will be tested in a big way in this contest. The Bulldogs don’t have good ball handlers, and they are very prone to turnover issues.

Mike Anderson’s Arkansas Razorbacks are just 1-6 on the road this year, but they are 13-1 at home. They’ll be in front of their home fans for this SEC tilt. Arkansas finished off a nice come from behind victory over Missouri on Saturday. The Razorbacks use the full court pressure to force opponents to play their style of basketball. Arkansas doesn’t want to get into a half court style of game. They want it to be an up and down affair where they can use their athleticism to their advantage. B.J. Young leads the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game. Marshawn Powell is the team’s best frontcourt player, and he averages 15.2 per contest.

No doubt this Arkansas defense is a feast or famine defense. The Razorbacks force more turnovers than any other team in the SEC, but if you can get past their full court pressure you are likely to get a good look in an offensive set. In addition, Arkansas is dead last in the SEC in rebounding margin. This will be an area they have to shore up in this game, because Georgia does have the players to make them pay if they don’t block out on the defensive end.

Prediction:

The Arkansas Razorbacks are very good at imposing their will onto the opponent when they are on their home court. Georgia turns it over a lot against everyone, and I don’t think they’ll handle the Razorbacks pressure well. Arkansas should cover here.

Arkansas 74 Georgia 61

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