The first March Madness since mobile Arkansas sports betting launched is just over a week away, but there will be plenty of action this week as the Razorbacks take part in the 2022 SEC Tournament in Tampa.
The Razorbacks begin their quest for the program’s first SEC tournament title in 22 years at 1 p.m. Friday on ESPN, kicking off what’s sure to be a whirlwind month for the state’s largest program.
Arkansas should have no fewer than two mobile sportsbook applications launched by the time the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off March 15, in Saracen Casino’s BetSaracen app and Southland Casino Racing’s Betly Sportsbook.
West Memphis’ Southland Casino Racing became the first online Arkansas sportsbook to launch operations Saturday.
Here’s a look at where the Razorbacks stand entering the 2022 SEC Tournament:
Hitting March Madness on a High Note
Year three of the Eric Musselman era in Fayetteville has been a roaring success, with the Razorbacks finishing the season 24-7 and 13-5 in SEC play.
The Razorbacks enter the SEC Tournament as the fourth seed, earned a bye into the quarterfinals and face the winner of Thursday’s Missouri/Ole Miss vs. LSU second round game.
With a win in its first game, Arkansas would draw the winner of the Texas A&M/Florida vs. Auburn game in the semifinal, which is held Saturday.
At FanDuel Sportsbook, Arkansas is listed at +700 to win the 2022 SEC conference title, ranking fourth behind Kentucky (+200), Auburn (+270) and Tennessee (+370).
The Razorbacks have won the SEC Tournament once, in 2000, and won SWC titles in 1977, 1979, 1982, 1989, 1990, and 1991.
How UA Fared Against Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU
Arkansas won twice against LSU this year, but the games were very tight — Arkansas, 66, LSU 58 on Jan. 15 in Baton Rouge and Arkansas 77, LSU 76 on March 2 in Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks had little difficulty against Ole Miss and Missouri.
Arkansas outscored Missouri, 163-100, in two contests, including an 87-43 shellacking that set off a nine-game winning streak.
The second matchup between the two programs was much the same, with the Razorbacks throttling the Tigers in Columbia, 76-57.
In its lone matchup of the year with Ole Miss, Arkansas rode a late run to pull out a 64-55 victory in Oxford.
Guard JD Notae came through during the Jan. 26 meeting, scoring a game-high 25 points on 10-for-23 shooting, spurring the Razorbacks to their 15th victory of the year.
