These are two very good teams that struggled late in the season, only to come back strong now. Arkansas was sitting in the Top 10 in just about every poll, but the Hogs lost their last three conference series. However, the Hogs made up for it with an impressive performance in the SEC Tournament, and that's why they are the #7 national seed. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State started red hot, and for a good part of the season, was up for a shot at the Big 12 title. However, the Pokes collapsed, first getting swept at home by Texas with a few weeks to go, and then getting swept by Missouri to finish conference play. The Pokes then went 0-3 in the Big 12 Tournament, giving them a six-game losing streak when they arrived at Baum Stadium.

The Cowboys bounced back though last night, playing a balanced game. With their bats coming to life in the first inning, and Oliver Odle shutting down Creighton, OSU shocked the red-hot Jays, setting themselves up for this showdown.

KEYS OF THE GAME: OSU Pitch Count and OSU Hitting Early
OSU has never really had a set rotation, and Frank Anderson likes to keep the name of his starter silent until late in the game, so whoever it is, it'll be interesting to see how long he lasts. Arkansas is a patient team on offense. The Razorbacks love getting teams deep in their bullpen, so count on Arkansas really working the OSU pitchers, making counts go high and getting Anderson to go to the pen as often as possible. Meanwhile, OSU must score as fast as they did against Creighton yesterday. When Jess Todd gets in a groove, he's very tough to hit against, so if OSU jumps on him early and quiets the crowd down, they have a good chance. If they don't, it could be a long night for the Pokes.

As always, here's today's edge matchups...

Starting Pitching: Edge to Arkansas
Relief Pitching: Slight Edge to Arkansas
Hitting: Edge to Oklahoma State
Fielding: Even
Power: Edge to Oklahoma State
Speed: Edge to Arkansas

Should be a classic here in Fayetteville tonight. Cars are already filling the lot, so I would expect a slightly bigger crowd than the 8,000+ who were here for Arkansas and Albany last night.

Today's starting pitchers...

Arkansas - RHP Jess Todd (9-2, 2.49 ERA)
Oklahoma State - LHP Joe Kent (4-2, 3.33 ERA)

We're all set to go from Fayetteville...it's Arkansas and Oklahoma State in the nightcap!