Ranked SEC rivals tip off conference play Saturday afternoon, as No. 18-ranked Arkansas hosts No. 19 Tennessee at Bud Walton Arena.
The contest sets the stage for an exciting battle between two of the SEC’s top playmakers, with both teams led by burgeoning guards who rank top five in scoring and top three in assists.
The Volunteers (10–3) boast wins over No. 8 Houston and No. 16 Louisville, punctuating their non-conference run with a 51-point rout of South Carolina State.
Tennessee is led by Maryland transfer guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, who averages 17.8 points and 5.8 assists per game, and owns the nation’s tenth most ferocious defense, according to KenPom.
Tennessee vs. Arkansas: what to know
- When: Jan. 3, 3 p.m. ET
- Where: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
- Channel: ESPN 2
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
The Razorbacks (10–3) are the only other team to beat the Cardinals, and also defeated No. 15 Texas Tech and trounced James Madison to cap non-conference play.
Leading the charge for Arkansas is freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., who’s averaging 18.8 points and 6.2 assists per game to catalyze a top 20 offense in the country, per KenPom metrics.
Tennessee vs. Arkansas start time:
Tennessee vs. Arkansas is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET today, Jan. 3.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Arkansas:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching college basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ESPN2 (plus many of the other channels you’ll need for the NCAA season). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $49.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
