Fayetteville, AR: For the first time since Mar. 22, 2024, Florida guard Alijah Martin and Arkansas guard Johnell Davis will be back playing on the court together — but against each other.
The two SEC teams will face off today at 4 p.m. EST at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.
In 2023, under former head coach Dusty May, Martin and Davis led the Florida Atlantic Owls to the Promise Land by helping lead FAU to the Final Four for the first time in the program’s history. In the tournament, Martin averaged 15.2 points and Davis averaged 15.4 points.
On Mar. 23, 2024, Dusty May signed a 5-year contract, valued at least $3.75 million annually, with the University of Michigan Wolverines after FAU was eliminated in the first round of March Madness in 2024 by Northwestern. With this news coming as a shock to the team and the college basketball world, nine players, including Nick Boyd and Vladislav Goldin, all entered their names into the transfer portal; all nine of these players were also on the Final Four team for the Owls.
On Apr. 1, Davis announced he was entering the transfer portal while also testing the NBA Draft waters. On Apr. 30, Davis announced his commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks under coach John Calipari. Davis was one of the top three names in the portal for 2024.
On Apr. 20, Martin announced he had entered the transfer portal, and announced the next day his commitment to the Florida Gators.
Preview of tonight’s game:
Via Data Skrive, the Razorbacks are 8-1 on their home court. Arkansas ranks ninth in the SEC at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 66.7 points while holding opponents to 40.9% shooting. Florida is 1-1 in conference play after their 106-100 loss to Kentucky, and averages 10.7 turnovers per game and is 10-0 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents.
Florida has a 59.9% chance at defeating Arkansas with a spread of -4.5.
Top scorers on each team:
Florida: Walter Clayton Jr. – 17.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG with 46.6% FG shooting | Alijah Martin – 16.1 PPG, 5.7 PRG with 45.9% FG shooting
Arkansas: Adou Thiero – 16.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG with 60% FG shooting | Boogie Fland – 15.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG with 41.7% FG shooting
