What to watch when Arkansas men’s basketball faces Purdue

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The Arkansas men’s basketball team is all set for its final dress rehearsal of the fall, welcoming one of the best teams in the country to Bud Walton Arena.

The No. 14 Razorbacks will face No. 3 Purdue on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. CT, SEC+), 10 days before their season-opener against Alcorn State.

This marks the second-straight season Arkansas will play in a preseason charity exhibition game that features two top 25 teams. Last year, the Razorbacks went on the road and lost to Texas.

Proceeds from this year’s game will go to Arkansas 211, a program of the United Way, to assist with relief efforts from the tornadoes that affected Arkansas this past spring.

Here are four things to watch before Eric Musselman and company take on Matt Painter and Purdue.

Zach Edey will lead No. 3 Purdue into Bud Walton Arena Saturday afternoon for an exhibition game against No. 14 Arkansas.

All eyes on the big man

Arguably the best player in college basketball is coming to Fayetteville on Saturday.

Purdue’s Zach Edey is back for his senior season after winning all six National Player of the Year awards last year, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks. The 7-foot-3 center will provide a unique challenge for the Razorbacks.

“You’re talking about maybe the hardest player in college basketball to game plan against,” Musselman said. “Because of his size, because of his skill level and because of his teammates that play surrounding him.”

More: Trevon Brazile returns as Arkansas men’s basketball routs UT-Tyler in exhibition

More: Why Eric Musselman sees a potential benchmark in Arkansas basketball’s exhibition vs. Purdue

Arkansas won’t face an opponent like Edey the rest of the season. Still, there are going to plenty of lessons from this matchup.

How does Arkansas handle Edey’s physicality? Can the Razorbacks make enough jump shots and capitalize on his drop defense in pick-and-rolls? Who in the front court rises to the occasion and provides good minutes against an elite big man?

Those are the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eyes-zach-edey-watch-arkansas-090900603.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2023-10-27 09:09:00

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