Kentucky returns home to Rupp Arena Wednesday, hosting Arkansas to begin a stretch where three of its next four games are against SEC Western Division foes. The Wildcats look to rebound after losing to Georgia, 74-68, in Athens Saturday. The regular-season sweep by the Bulldogs was their second of Kentucky in the last three years.
The Wildcats have won three-consecutive games against Arkansas and five of the last seven in the series. The Razorbacks have claimed two victories in Rupp Arena, but haven?t accomplished the feat since their 1994 NCAA Championship season.
UK guard Gerald Fitch, the team?s leading scorer, is still listed as day-to-day after spraining his right index finger on Feb. 3, at Florida. He has missed the last three games, the first time in his career he has missed a game due to injury.
The Arkansas Razorbacks
After starting the year with four consecutive wins, Arkansas has battled ups and downs and visits Lexington with an 11-11 overall record. The Razorbacks are 3-8 in conference play, having lost three in a row. The Hogs? last SEC win came against Auburn on Feb. 4, in Fayetteville.
Guard Jonathon Modica leads the Razorbacks in scoring, averaging 17.0 ppg (7th in the SEC) to go with 4.1 rpg. Ronnie Brewer has started all 22 contests and averages 12.4 ppg and a team-high 5.6 rpg. Billy Pharis is fourth on the team in scoring (6.8 ppg) but is shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc to lead the Hog starters.
Stan Heath, in his second season at Arkansas and just his third season as a head coach, owns a 50-36 career record.
Series History
This is the 25th meeting in the series, which dates back to Dec. 18, 1945 – a 67-42 UK win. The Cats have won the last three meetings, including a 66-50 victory in Fayetteville last February.
The Cats own a 6-2 advantage in Lexington and have won the last four games in Rupp Arena.
Since Arkansas joined the conference in 1992, UK owns a 13-7 record against the Hogs. In regular-season games during that period, the teams have split the series, 6-6. UK has dominated the postseason, however, winning seven of eight in SEC Tournament play.
Tubby Smith is 9-9 against Arkansas in his career. At Tulsa, he was 0-5 against UA, at Georgia he was 2-1 and at Kentucky he?s 7-3.
Stan Heath is 0-2 against UK in his career, including an 82-68 loss to UK in Cincinnati two years ago while coaching Kent State. This marks Heath?s first trip to Rupp Arena since the 2002 NCAA South Regional where his KSU team defeated Pittsburgh to advance to the regional finals before falling to eventual national runner-up Indiana. Heath also served as an assistant at Michigan State from 1997-01. The Spartans were 1-2 against UK in that time.
Injury Update
Senior guard Gerald Fitch is day-to-day after spraining his right index finger in the second half of Kentucky?s win at Florida.
He has missed the last three games.
