FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long is noncommittal about whether the Razorbacks will continue to play football games in Little Rock when the university's contract with War Memorial Stadium expires after the 2018 season.
But basketball games in central Arkansas don't appear to be in danger of disappearing.
"I love playing in central Arkansas," Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. "To me, it's like plus eight to 10 points for our basketball team because of the atmosphere there."
The Razorbacks (5-4) will make their annual visit to central Arkansas when they play Mercer (8-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
"There's great energy in the arena down there," Arkansas senior guard Anthlon Bell said. "The fans are on their feet when we start warming up and don't sit down until the game's over.
"We're really appreciative of their enthusiasm. The crowd screams when we hit a simple layup. They bring the energy to us, and we're ready to play defense and give it right back to the fans."
Based on the average attendance of 11,503 for Arkansas' games at Verizon the past 10 seasons, Saturday night's crowd figures to be the largest at home for the Razorbacks so far this season.
Arkansas' six games in Walton Arena have an averaged paid attendance of 14,117 based on tickets sold, but the announced actual attendance average is 5,913.
The largest attendance for an Arkansas home game so far is 6,842 for the Razorbacks' 83-57 victory over Tennessee Tech on Saturday night.
The Razorbacks' 84-67 victory over Southeast Missouri State last season in Verizon Arena drew a crowd of 11,375.
Crowds in Northwest Arkansas have a tendency to wait for SEC games or nonconference matchups against marquee opponents before coming to Walton Arena in large numbers, but for fans in central Arkansas, the Razorbacks make one appearance each season.
"It's fans that obviously don't get a chance to see us play every day," Anderson said. "They get a chance to watch some of the games, but this is an opportunity for them to come out and show their support.
"We're taking our team to central Arkansas, and those people show up and they show out."
Arkansas senior point guard Jarbil Durham, a transfer from Seminole (Okla.) State College, played in Verizon Arena for the first time last season.
"When I first got here, I didn't know how big the Razorbacks are all around the state," Durham said. "Arkansas really loves the Razorbacks, so this will be a fun experience going down there again."
Saturday night's game will be a homecoming for Arkansas junior guard Dusty Hannahs, who is from Little Rock and played at Pulaski Academy.
Hannahs, a transfer from Texas Tech who redshirted last season, said he has attended several Arkansas and UALR games in Verizon Arena as well as some NBA exhibition games, but Saturday night will be the first time he's played there.
"I can't wait," Hannahs said. "It's one of those things I can't put into words how excited I am."
Sports on 12/18/2015