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Arkansas Basketball: 2021 keys for Razorbacks to beat Alabama Crimson Tide

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - JANUARY 02: Connor Vanover #23 comforts JD Notae #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks during a game against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena on January 02, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 81-68. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - JANUARY 02: Connor Vanover #23 comforts JD Notae #1 of the Arkansas Razorbacks during a game against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena on January 02, 2021 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 81-68. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Joshua Primo Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Joshua Primo Alabama Crimson Tide (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2. Don’t allow Joshua Primo to go off

Another player who was missing in action in the Kentucky game was Jahvon Quinerly, who has been out for the past couple of games with health issues. His status for the Arkansas matchup will be unknown before tip but Alabama has been able to continue winning without him.

A big part of that has been Schakelford becoming an effective combo guard and lead ball-handler, while the rest of the roster is filled with capable distributors to collectively make up for Quinerly’s absence. To make up for the missing 12 ppg has been freshman guard Joshua Primo, a former top-30 prospect that is averaging 8.0 ppg in 24 mpg, six of those with him starting.

The 6’6 guard has seen some of his best games since entering the starting lineup in SEC play, including scoring a season-high 22 points against Auburn and 12 against Kentucky. Primo is a three-point shooting threat (35%) and his length and athleticism is a good matchup for the bigger guards and wings for the Razorbacks.

While Schakelford will be the guy that Arkansas has to worry about most, he’ll likely get his 15-20 points. But with multiple starters out of the picture, the Tide will need to find offense somewhere. When Primo has a big scoring game, Alabama likely wins. If the Razorbacks can prevent that from happening, they’ll have a good shot at winning.