No. 25 Arkansas will continue the tour of champions portion of the nonconference season when it faces No. 6 Louisville on Wednesday in Fayetteville, Ark., as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The Razorbacks (5-2) will meet their third opponent ranked in the top seven of the current AP Top 25 when they clash with the Cardinals (7-0).
Arkansas is playing for the first time since losing 80-71 to No. 4 Duke in the CBS Thanksgiving Classic at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday. They fell 69-66 at now-No. 7 Michigan State on Nov. 8.
Louisville has beaten the only ranked team it has faced, a 96-88 home win over then-No. 9 Kentucky in a home rivalry matchup on Nov. 11. The Cardinals have been off since spanking NJIT 104-47 on Nov. 26.
“It’s a really good chance for our guys to kind of clear their mind, reset a little bit,” Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said of the time off before a game against “a really, really dangerous, talented and well-coached Arkansas team.”
The Cardinals entered the week fourth in Division I in scoring (96.7 points per game) and tied for 17th in points against (63.0). They have scored at least 100 points four times, their top total in 26 years.
Louisville were No. 8 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin ratings through the weekend. Arkansas was 36th, weighed down by the losses to Michigan State and Duke.
The Razorbacks led the Blue Devils 60-53 midway through the second half but were outscored 19-7 in the final 6:13.
Duke freshman Cameron Boozer bulled his way through the Razorbacks for 35 points and nine rebounds, helping the Blue Devils to a 37-29 rebounding advantage.
“We had our chances to win this game,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said. “It’s how do you separate? We did. When you get that separation, how do you put people away? Normally it will come down to defense and rebounding.
“We’re still learning. We have to figure out how to finish games collectively and be connected.”
Highly regarded Arkansas freshmen Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. have played as advertised. Thomas leads the team in scoring (17.6 points per game) while Acuff is second in scoring (17.4 ppg) and leads in assists (4.4 per contest).
Outside of forward Trevon Brazile (12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds per game), the Razorbacks have had up-and-down contributions from others as Calipari has juggled the lineup to find the right mix. He has used four lineups this season, none more than twice.
Rebounding has been a sore spot. Arkansas was outrebounded by both by Michigan State and Duke, and big man transfers Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle combined for 10 points and four rebounds in 39 minutes against the Blue Devils.
Louisville has a plus-12.7 rebounding edge this season and is averaging 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, which helps fuel a perimeter-based offense led by senior Ryan Conwell and freshman Mikel Brown Jr.
Xavier transfer Conwell (20.0 points a game) had 32 points and eight threes against NJIT. He is averaging four threes and 8.9 attempts per game. Brown (17.0 ppg) is averaging 2.1 made treys per game, and Isaac McKneely (12.3 ppg) is averaging 3.4 per contest from long range.
“We just do what the game tells us,” McKneely said. “We have all kinds of guys that can knock down threes, and that’s what makes us so hard to guard.”
