Arkansas basketball heads to the SEC Tournament in Nashville this week, and there is a general consensus that the Razorbacks (19-11) sit on the right side of the March Madness bubble.
John Calipari‘s squad is coming off back-to-back wins over Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. It’s widely expected that at least 12 SEC teams will make the NCAA Tournament, and Arkansas is the No. 9 seed in the league’s postseason bracket.
The Hogs have a chance to strengthen their case with multiple wins in the SEC Tournament, but the first test is against last-place South Carolina, who could do more harm than good to the Arkansas résumé. The Gamecocks are a Quad 2 opponent who led by 35 points during a 72-53 win over the Razorbacks in March.
Arkansas and South Carolina will tipoff Wednesday at noon (SEC Network). Until then, here are the latest Bracketology projections for the Hogs.
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Arkansas basketball NCAA tournament projections
ESPN: Joe Lunardi says that the Razorbacks are a No. 10 seed, projecting Arkansas to face No. 7 Kansas in the first round. That matchup would be a repeat from a preseason exhibition and take place in Milwaukee, with the winner facing No. 2 Alabama or No. 15 Robert Morris in the second round.
CBS Sports: Jerry Palm also has the Hogs as a No. 10 seed, but he projects the opponent to be No. 7 BYU in Lexington, Ky. The winner of that game would face No. 2 Alabama or No. 15 South Alabama in the second round.
On3: This bracketologist still has the Hogs as a No. 11 seed, facing No. 6 Gonzaga in the first round. The second round opponent would be the winner between No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 14 Northern Colorado in Wichita, Kan.
USA TODAY:Â USA TODAYÂ hasn’t updated its bracket since the Hogs win over Mississippi State, but going into Saturday it had the Hogs as an 11-seed that heads to Denver. There, they will play No. 6 Marquette. The winner would get a shot at either No. 3 Texas Tech or No. 14 Utah Valley.
Arkansas basketball NCAA Tournament résumé
The Razorbacks are 6-9 against Quad 1 opponents, with victories against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Texas, Georgia and Michigan.
Arkansas is 2-3 against Quad 2 opponents, which is where the home win over Texas and the loss to South Carolina fall. The Razorbacks are No. 39 in the NET Rankings and No. 40 on KenPom.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.Â
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball bracketology: March Madness projections as of March 7
