Kentucky Wildcats @ Arkansas Razorbacks: Game Notes

The No. 12/13 Kentucky Wildcats (12-3, 2-0) travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks in the renewal of one of the SEC's intense rivalries. UK comes into the game riding a five-game winning streak, while the 11-4 Hogs will vie to get back into the win column after dropping their first two league contests.

It's UK vs. Arkansas and here are your Game Notes:

Arkansas

• Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson is in his third year at the helm of the Razorback basketball program. The long-time Nolan Richardson assistant runs an off-shoot of Richardson's "Forty Minutes of Hell" named "The Fastest Forty Minutes in Basketball."
• Regardless of the moniker, the Hogs will run a full court trapping press, along with high pressure, switching, half-court defense designed to create easy scoring opportunities off the break.
• Anderson has a 48-31 at Arkansas.
• Arkansas averages a league best 84.5 points per game (UK is second in the conference, averaging 80.5 points per game).
  
• Anderson was the coach at UAB when the Blazers upset No. 1 seed Kentucky in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament.
• The Razorbacks have three solid-to-outstanding 3-point shooters -- 6-6 Michael Qualls makes 37.3 percent from distance (19-51), Rashad Madden connects on 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (22-44), and Kikko Haydar is true 46.9 percent of the time from long-range (15-32).
• Qualls and Madden, at 6-6 and 6-5 respectively, are the first guard combo that the 'Cats have faced that will be able to look UK's guards directly in the eye.
• Arkansas' full court, trapping press is partially responsible for the 18.4 turnovers the Hogs force on the season.
• The Razorbacks have four players who average double-figures in scoring -- Qualls (12.7 points per game), 6-10 freshman forward Bobby Portis (12.5 points per game), Madden (11.2 points per game), and 6-6 junior forward Alandise Harris.
• Portis was the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arkansas, and top 16 recruit in the ESPN, Rivals and Scout player ratings, while 6-10 freshman Moses Kingsley was the top rated player out of Mississippi last year.
• Portis is the Hogs' leading rebounder with 6.3 boards per game.
• Kingsley, in only 10.9 minutes per game, averages 1.7 blocks, 5.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
• Arkansas averages 8.2 thefts per contest.
• The Razorbacks shoot 36.4 percent from 3-point land, while allowing opponents to make 35.5 percent from distance. The Hogs attempt just over 20 treys per game.
• Arkansas' overtime loss to Florida snapped the Razorbacks' 23-game home winning streak.
• Kentucky is only 6-6 when playing at Arkansas, 25-9 overall when playing Arkansas.
  
• The last two times UK has visited Bud Walton Arena, the 'Cats came away on the short end, 73-60 last year, and 77-76 in overtime in 2011.
• In UA's 73-60 win over UK last season, 6-7 senior forward Coty Clarke led the Hogs with 14 points,12 rebounds and six assists.

Kentucky

• In an average of 20.5 minutes per game, Alex Poythress is averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in SEC play.
• Ten different Wildcats have recorded assists in UK's two conference contests.
• James Young has passed out a team-high nine dimes against SEC competition.
• Kentucky has made at least 12 free throws in every game this season, and have connected on more shots from the charity stripe -- 330 -- than its opponents have attempted -- 286.
• UK is 11-2 in its last 13 games with Arkansas.
• The Wildcats field goal percentage defense ranks 19th in the nation, allowing opponents to shoot only 39.0 percent from the field.
• Kentucky ranks fourth in the country with 6.8 blocks per game.
• Julius Randles 10.9 boards per game ranks eighth in the country.
• Willie Cauley-Stein's 3.7 blocks per contest ranks 5th in the nation.
• In UK's road win at Vanderbilt, Andrew Harrison recorded zero turnovers for the first time in his collegiate career. UK's point had four dimes.
• WCS now ranks 17th in UK history with 116 career blocks.
• UK is 9-1 when leading at the half.
• Since SEC play began in the 1933 season, UK has a 913-256 league mark (.781 winning percentage).
• Other than Kentucky, only Alabama has more than 700 SEC wins.
• Since the 2010 season, the only BCS school with a higher conference winning percentage than UK is Kansas.
• KU is 61-9 in the Big 12 (.871 winning percentage), while the 'Cats are 54-14 (.794) in league play since 2010.
• The 'Cats are 12-0 when winning the points in the paint battle, and 11-2 when scoring more second chance points.
• Kentucky is 2-1 in games played on Tuesday, and 3-3 when playing on the ESPN family of networks.
• Yesterday marked the anniversary of Jodie Meeks' dropping 54 on UT in Knoxville in 2009. That same season, Meeks set the single-game UK record for most points scored against Arkansas with 45.
• On average, UK is outscoring its opponents by just over three points between the 10:00 minute and 5:00 minute marks of the second half.
• The Wildcats own an all-time 579-195 January record; 28-5 under John Calipari.
• Kentucky is 21-7 when ranked No. 14 by the AP.
• Three Wildcats have scored 25-plus points in a game this season -- Randle has accomplished the feat twice, netting 29 versus Belmont and 27 against Michigan State; Aaron Harrison recorded 28 points against Robert Morris, and James Young twice poured in 26 points, first against Texas-Arlington, and later against Mississippi State in UK's SEC opener.

Thanks for reading and Go 'Cats!