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Arkansas Razorbacks ready to dance in NCAA Tournament

This is the third NCAA Tournament appearance for the Razorbacks in a four-year span.
Arkansas Razorbacks [Getty Images]

DETROIT, Mich. (KTHV) – The Arkansas Razorbacks Men’s Basketball team is gearing up for its debut in the 2018 NCAA March Madness Tournament.

This is the third NCAA Tournament appearance for the Razorbacks in a four-year span.

The No. 7 seeded Arkansas men’s basketball team tips off with the No. 10 seeded Butler Bulldogs on Friday, March 16 in the first round of play in Detroit, Michigan.

The game is set for 2:10 p.m. CST at Little Caesars Arena on TruTV.

PRE-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE:

#Fastest40 Storylines:

  • Arkansas is making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in a four-year span for the first time in 10 years.
  • With a 5-2 mark this season, Arkansas has won fiveplus neutral site games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 10 years.
  • Arkansas faced 11 teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament and posted an 8-8 record against those programs. Five of the 8 wins came against top 8 seeds.
  • The Razorbacks have five wins over ranked opponents this year, the most such wins since knocking off eight AP Top 25 teams during the 1994-95 National Runnerup season.
  • Arkansas’ 122 dunks are the most in the Mike Anderson era, and Daniel Gafford’s 74 slams are 27 more dunks than Butler has all season as a team.
  • At 40.1 percent from behind the arc, the Razorbacks are on pace to record the second-highest three-point percentage by any SEC team in the last 25 years. Florida shot 40.9 percent in 2007.
  • Arkansas has won 40 consecutive games when leading at halftime. During the Mike Anderson era, the Razorbacks are 125-7 (.946) when leading at the break.
  • Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon are the only two players in the SEC to rank in the top 10 in points per game, 3-point FG percentage and FG percentage.
  • Barford (.436) and Macon (.429) rank first and second in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage. No other high-major league in the country has its top 3-point shooters from the same team.

LET’S DANCE

  • The Razorbacks hold a 42-31 all-time record in 31 NCAA Tournament appearances.
  • Holding a 20-11 overall record in NCAA openers, Arkansas has three straight opening-round victories.
  • Arkansas has won its first two NCAA Tournament games nine times (1996 - Last time).

BOSS HOG IN MARCH

  • Mike Anderson is one of five head coaches in this year’s NCAA Tournament field to lead three different programs to three NCAA Tournaments.
  • The Boss Hog is one of four current Division I coaches with 15 years of head coaching experience and zero losing seasons.
  • Anderson is making his ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He is 9-8 all-time in the Big Dance, including one Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight.
  • He is 6-2 in his first game of the NCAA Tournament, including two consecutive wins.

Game notes, click here.

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