FAYETTEVILLE -- Tramon Mark is making his SEC debut today at 1 p.m. for the Arkansas Razorbacks against No. 25 Auburn at Walton Arena, but the 6-5 transfer guard has faced the Tigers before.
Mark notched what was then career-highs with 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting and 9 rebounds as a sophomore in the University of Houston's 81-64 win over the Tigers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. The Cougars ended Auburn's season at 21-13 with the win at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
Mark drew five fouls and made 8 of 9 free throws, shot 0 of 4 from three-point range and added a steal while playing a game-high 37 minutes.
This season, Mark is averaging a team-high 17 points per game for the Razorbacks. He surpassed those career-high marks from the Auburn game by scoring 34 points in a loss to North Carolina on Nov. 24 and with 11 rebounds in a win over Abilene Christian on Dec. 21.
Mark, a junior from Dickinson, Texas, has led Arkansas in scoring five times this season.
Duke it out?
Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl, who always has an eye and ready commentary on the national hoops scene, discussed today's game at Arkansas in terms of the perceptions of their programs during his appearance on the Tiger Talk radio show on Thursday.
"There's clearly an edge to this game with us and Arkansas," Pearl said. "Obviously we've had some tight contests before. But I'll give you an example: I think over the last five to seven years, I think Auburn has been one of the better teams in the SEC. I believe that's the case.
"Arkansas played Duke in the [ACC/SEC Challenge]. They got Duke at home, Arkansas did. Look, Arkansas has gone to the NCAA Tournament, they've gone to a couple of Elite 8s.
"Auburn didn't get Duke. Auburn didn't get North Carolina. Auburn didn't get Virginia. Auburn didn't get Miami. Arkansas did. Tennessee got North Carolina. Kentucky got Miami. Texas A&M got Virginia.
"So unless we can go on the road and beat a team like Arkansas, we're going to get Virginia Tech and they're going to get Duke."
Auburn downed Virginia Tech 74-57 at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Nov. 29.
Battle test
Arkansas guard Khalif Battle is expected to play after suffering a twisted ankle in the first half of the 106-90 win over North Carolina-Wilmington on Dec. 30. Battle, who had been averaging 15.3 points through 12 games, had two points against the Seahawks.
Battle did not practice Monday but participated in two practices each Tuesday and Wednesday.
Broome stick
Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said whoever defends Auburn forward Johni Broome will have to stay on the 6-10, 240-pounder, even out on the wings.
Broome, a first-team preseason All-SEC pick, is averaging a team-high 15.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In the Tigers' 88-68 win over Penn on Tuesday, Broome made 9 of 10 shots, 3 of 4 from three-point range and had 24 points in 28 minutes.
"He's worked hard, based on what I'm reading ... on his three-point shot," Musselman said. "I thought Broome's three-point attempts [vs. Penn] looked good coming out of his hand.
"But he's still interior. That's where you've got to be the most worried, but you certainly don't want any 'horse' shots and you're closing out short to someone that has the ability to make threes. And you can't close out reckless, because he's got a good, deceptive first step off the bounce. So you've got to play him for when he's out on the perimeter. You've got to play him for several things."
Bench battle
The Razorbacks and Tigers feature two of the most productive benches in the nation.
Auburn leads the SEC and ranks seventh in the nation with 37.6 points per game by non-starters, while Arkansas is eighth with 36.9 per game.
The Razorbacks have brought Khalif Battle (14.3 ppg) off the bench all season, and players like leading scorer Tramon Mark (17.0), Keyon Menifield (15.0), Jalen Graham (6.4) and Makhi Mitchell (5.6) have not started in a handful of games.
Auburn's top scorers off the bench have typically been Chad Baker-Mazara (9.2), K.D. Johnson (7.6), Tre Donaldson (7.5) and Dylan Cardwell (5.3).
Stephen F. Austin leads the nation with 40.9 bench points per game, while North Carolina-Wilmington, whom the Hogs beat 106-90 last week, is second at 40.8 with leading scorer Trazarien White, who had 28 points against Arkansas, playing largely in a reserve role.
Walton impact
Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said the noise and atmosphere at Walton Arena will affect the Tigers' communication and that his team did not handle the road scene well in a 69-64 loss at Appalachian State in the their only true road game this team.
"I did think the environment at App State affected our play," he said. "I do. I think it affected our play and it may have elevated App State's play."
Auburn's Chris Moore, a West Memphis native, said he appreciated another opportunity to compete in his home state.
"If you go to hostile environments like Arkansas, the crowd is going to elevate them," Moore said. "It's going to be loud and rowdy. You've got to stay solid, stay composed and trust the process."