SEC Tournament: Missouri v. #8 Arkansas

Who will WIN this matchup?

Missouri Tigers (16-8)

#8 Arkansas Razorbacks (21-5)

Current odds:

Missouri Tigers: (+190)

Arkansas Razorbacks: (-220)

• The line for this game is Arkansas by 5.5 points.

• Few teams in the country are as hot as No. 8 Arkansas. Once considered an unproven commodity early in Southeastern Conference play, the young Razorbacks have rattled off eight straight wins and earned the second seed for the SEC tournament. They’ll take their first step toward a tourney crown and a potential second seed for next week’s NCAA Tournament on Friday night when they battle seventh-seeded Missouri in a quarterfinal matchup in Nashville, Tenn.

• Arkansas (21-5) closed the regular season Saturday with an 87-80 home win over Texas A&M behind 28 points from Moses Moody. But his biggest play might have been a blocked shot on a dunk attempt with 1:30 left and the game tied.

• Musselman wasn’t happy with his team early in the season when they were racking up mostly one-sided wins against outmatched nonconference teams. He criticized them for not cutting hard enough to create better shots and for missing too many point-blank shots. His message appears to have been received. After the win over a Texas A&M team that became the first to exit the SEC tourney on Wednesday night, Musselman praised his squad for standing up to the challenge of an underdog that put together an inspired game on a foreign floor.

• Moody paces Arkansas with 17.5 points per game, while JD Notae (12.9), Justin Smith (12.5) and Jalen Tate (10.9) also average in double figures. The Razorbacks average 83.3 points per contest, which ranks as the seventh-most in the nation.

• Meanwhile, Missouri (16-8) earned a third matchup with Arkansas by holding off Georgia 73-70 in a first-round game Thursday night. The Tigers nearly blew a 12-point second-half lead, but got two free throws each by Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson in the final 20 seconds, then survived a missed 3-pointer by P.J. Horne just before time expired. Missouri improved to 6-1 in games decided by five points or less.

• Pinson scored 17 points to pace a balanced attack against Georgia. Smith and Kobe Brown each scored 16 points, while Jeremiah Tilmon pitched in 10. Smith’s 14.2 ppg leads three Missouri players in double figures this season.

• The Tigers and Arkansas have split two meetings this year, each winning on the road. Missouri’s 81-68 decision on Jan. 2 in Fayetteville finished with Musselman in his office, as he was ejected after drawing two technical fouls.