FAYETTEVILLE -- There are only two teams left that the Arkansas Razorbacks could possibly sweep home and home in the SEC West.
Arkansas plays one of them Saturday night.
It's the basketball tougher one, not the Auburn Tigers but the Alabama Crimson Tide, 17-8 and leading the SEC West at 9-2 and hosting the Razorbacks, 16-9, 5-6, at 6 p.m. on the FOX Sports Network from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"Obviously Alabama is the best team in the SEC in terms of their record and how they play," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. "They have been tremendous. They are playing very, very well."
Especially at Coleman Coliseum where coach Anthony Grant's Tide rolls unbeaten this SEC season.
However the Tide doesn't roll unbeaten over Arkansas.
Arkansas took its first lead of the game on a Rotnei Clarke basket with 55 seconds and lowered the Tide, 70-65 back on Jan. 15 at Walton Arena.
Other than at Vanderbilt, ironically the only other SEC team to beat Alabama, the Hogs haven't won on the SEC road, yet do know they can beat Alabama because they have. Pelphrey won't let them forget that triumph over Alabama or their victory over Vandy or routs their last two games at Walton over LSU and Florida A&M even knowing the odds ride high Tide for the home team in Tuscaloosa.
"We are going to go in there confident make no mistake about it," Pelphrey said. "We are not going with any small percentage of hope. We are going down there with the mindset to win the basketball game. We understand it won't be easy. We understand nobody else has won there. But the way you have a chance to win is to go in there very confident and expecting to win."
Arkansas was just two games removed from a 73-45 shellacking at SEC East champion Florida when it stunned then 19th-ranked Vanderbilt before a packed house 14,316 at Vandy's Memorial Gym in Nashville.
"It's going to be a true road test," Pelphrey said. "Not only have they performed well and forced the other team not to play well, but they are getting about 15,000 in there. Very similar to the situation we faced at Vanderbilt."
Except it's easier to score on Vanderbilt than it is Anthony Grant's Crimson Tide.
Pelphrey knows Grant knows defense from coaching with him when both were young assistants for Billy Donovan at Florida.
"Anthony is a great coach period," Pelphrey said, "but a tremendous defensive coach. They do a great job of staying between you and the basket. They are a tremendous help team.
"They don't break down and beat themselves defensively. They rebound the basketball and defend the 3-point line. Just a really good team."
However the Razorbacks did overcome that really good Alabama team in Fayetteville and confounded odds beating a really good Vanderbilt team at its uniquely configured Memorial Gym, the gym and the game where Arkansas junior forward Michael Sanchez scored a career high 20 points.
"We're going to have to have an unbelievable amount of focus and readiness and energy," Sanchez of playing in Tuscaloosa like they played at Vanderbilt. "We can't let the environment, or wherever we play at, wherever the floor is, even if it's outer space - we're going to have to have the same energy and focus."
Alabama is led by a Tide trio, 6-8 junior forward JaMychal Green, 16.0 points and 7.5 rebounds including 16 points in Fayetteville, sophomore 6-6 forward Tony Mitchell, 15.6 and 7.2 with 14 points in Fayetteville, and freshman point guard Trevor Releford, 10.3 points and 92 assists and matching Arkansas forward Marshawn Powell for a game-high 17 points in Fayetteville.
"JaMychal Green is as good as anybody in our league, a player of the year candidate," Pelphrey said. " Releford is arguably the freshman of the year in our league. Tony Mitchell is playing awesome."
Against Alabama in Fayetteville, Powell, center Delvon Johnson, three blocked shots, Clarke and point guard Julysses Nobles scored 17, 14, 13 and 10 points while freshman guard Mardracus Wade and now starting guard Marcus Britt, the senior and a Forrest City High alum, played big off the bench.
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Arkansas (16-9, 5-6)
F-Marshawn Powell 6-7 So. 10.9 pts 4.2 rebs.
C-Delvn Johnson 6-9 Sr. 10.0 7.6
G-Jeff Peterson 6-0 Jr. 6.6 2.2
G-Rotnei Clarke 6-0 Jr. 13.6 3.1
G-Marcus Britt 6-3 Sr. 4.6 1.7
Alabama (17-8, 9-2)
F-Tony Mitchell 6-6 So. 15.6 pts. 7.2 rebs.
F-Chris Hines 6-8 Sr. 5.1 6.4
F-JaMychal Green 6-8 Jr. 16.0 7.5
G-Trevor Releford 6-1 Fr. 10.3 3.4
G-Charvez Davis 6-3 Sr. 8.4 2.3