FAYETTEVILLE -- Dusty Hannahs, Moses Kingsley and Manny Watkins may not be the Triplets, but the Arkansas Razorbacks' senior basketball players have formed a lasting bond.

"We came here as boys and now we're men," Kingsley said. "It's amazing to look back and see how far we've come to where we are today."

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Saturday's Ticket Arkansas vs. Georgia WHEN 1 p.m. WHERE Walton Arena, Fayetteville RECORDS Arkansas 22-8, 11-6 SEC Georgia 18-12, 9-8 SERIES Arkansas leads 20-15 RADIO Razorback Sports Network TELEVISION ESPN2 PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS GEORGIA POS., NAME, HT., YR. PPG RPG G J.J. Frazier, 5-10, Sr. 18.5 3.5 G Juwan Parker, 6-4, Jr. 9.6 5.5 G William Jackson, 6-4, So. 3.9 1.1 F Derek Ogbeide, 6-8, Jr. 7.2 7.6 F E’Torrian Wilridge, 6-6, So. 1.8 1.4 COACH Mark Fox (144-115 in eight seasons at Georgia, 267-158 overall in 13 seasons) ARKANSAS POS., NAME, HT., YR. PPG RPG G Dusty Hannahs, 6-3, Sr. 14.6 1.8 G Jaylen Barford, 6-3, Jr. 12.4 3.7 G Manny Watkins, 6-3, Sr. 5.8 3.8 F Dustin Thomas, 6-8, Jr. 5.3 4.1 C Moses Kingsley, 6-10, Sr. 11.9 7.7 COACH Mike Anderson (124-72 in six seasons at Arkansas, 324-170 overall in 15 seasons) TEAM COMPARISON Georgia Arkansas 72.7 Points for 80.5 70.1 Points against 74.4 +2.4 Rebound margin +0.7 -1.3 Turnover margin +1.3 44.8 FG pct. 46.2 33.4 3-PT pct. 37.5 75.2 FT pct. 75.8 CHALK TALK Arkansas’ senior day ceremony for Dusty Hannahs, Moses Kingsley and Manny Watkins will start at 12:40 p.m. … Georgia junior forward Yante Maten, averaging 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds, is out with a right knee injury he suffered two minutes into the Bulldogs’ game against Kentucky on Feb. 18. … The Razorbacks and Bulldogs each are 5-1 in their past six games. … J.J. Frazier is averaging 31.0 points in Georgia’s past four games in Maten’s absence. … Arkansas junior guard Daryl Macon, who has played off the bench the past seven games, is averaging 13.5 points per game. … Georgia last won at Arkansas 60-59 in 2011. … The Razorbacks are 9-3 against the Bulldogs in Fayetteville.

Kingsley, a native of Nigeria, said he's been in the United States for seven years and known Hannahs and Watkins since he was a high school sophomore from playing AAU basketball.

"I'm very, very glad that I'm graduating with these two," Kingsley said. "They're really like brothers to me."

Hannahs, Kingsley and Watkins -- who will play their final home game when the Razorbacks (22-8, 11-6 SEC) face Georgia (18-12, 9-8) at 1 p.m. today in Walton Arena -- took different paths to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Hannahs, a 6-3 guard averaging a team-high 14.6 points, starred at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock and grew up wanting to play for the Razorbacks, but he wasn't heavily recruited.

He figured playing on the same AAU team as Bobby Portis, Archie Goodwin and Kingsley would get him recruiting exposure.

"I'd come home and tell my friends, 'Man, I played really good at this tournament. The recruiting's about to ramp up,' " Hannahs said. "Then this D-III college would call me and be like, 'Hey, we've identified you as a top 50 guy for us.' I'd be like, 'Ah, OK.'

"I just kept working really hard. I loved basketball, and I thought I still could play it at a high level."

Texas Tech offered a scholarship, and Hannahs signed with the Red Raiders and played two seasons before getting a release and a scholarship offer from Arkansas assistant coach Melvin Watkins, Manny's father.

"You just have to trust the process of life," Hannahs said. "I never thought when I went to Lubbock that this would happen.

"When Manny's dad called and offered me a scholarship, that was the best day of my life."

Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said Hannahs, who averaged a team-high 16.5 points last season, has transformed himself as a player at Arkansas, starting with his redshirt year.

"Dusty came here just a shooter, and we've seen him really develop to be an outstanding player," Anderson said. "To his credit, he worked on his ball handling, his shot off the dribble and became a better defensive player.

"He put the time in and he raised his game up."

Hannahs said he's grateful he'll always have a connection to the Razorbacks.

"I wasn't ready to be a Tech fan for life," he said. "I still had that Hog blood in me. Now I can be a Hog fan for life and stay connected with the state.

"Hopefully, I've proved my worth on the basketball court to the people that raised me."

Kingsley, a 6-10 center, moved from Nigeria to Mississippi, where he played high school basketball with the hope of earning a college scholarship.

After playing his senior season at Huntington Prep in West Virginia, Kingsley turned down scholarship offers from Florida and Louisville to join close friend Portis -- the 2015 SEC Player of the Year now playing for the Chicago Bulls -- at Arkansas.

Kingsley played two seasons as Portis' backup, then became an All-SEC player last season when he averaged 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots. He's averaging 11.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots this season.

"This year he's had more help so his numbers may not be as high, but he's still had the same impact," Anderson said. "Moses is a guy that things have slowed down for as he's gotten more comfortable."

Kingsley, who earlier this week was named to the SEC community service team for the second time, said he's improved as a student and person as well as a player during his time at Arkansas.

"It's been a journey," he said. "The last four years have been amazing.

"I'm just appreciative to the whole community, because I didn't have my parents here and I feel like everybody has helped raise me."

Manny Watkins, a 6-3 guard, moved to Fayetteville in the spring of 2011 when his father followed Anderson from Missouri to Arkansas. Watkins lived in North Carolina and Texas growing up.

After playing two seasons at Fayetteville High School, Watkins was set to play for Missouri State on a full scholarship, but on signing day he changed his mind and decided to come to Arkansas as a walk-on.

After playing 27 minutes in six games as a freshman, Watkins gradually became a key player in the Razorbacks' rotation. This season he's averaging 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-high 1.2 steals. He was placed on scholarship last season and has been a team captain along with Kingsley.

"Manuale Watkins is a coach's son, and he's like a coach out on the floor," Anderson said. "I can tell him we want him to do something and he goes and does it.

"He's really, really important. He's an energy guy and he's a glue guy."

Watkins said walking on with the Razorbacks is probably the best decision he's made.

"I didn't really grow up in Arkansas, so I never had that, 'I was born a Razorback, always a Razorback,' " Watkins said. "But I've been here six years, and I feel like I've lived here my whole life.

"It's just kind of that thing Arkansas does to you. All these experiences I've gotten to do being a Hog is just amazing. I love the fans here. I wish I had four more years."

Hannahs, Kingsley and Watkins have helped put the Razorbacks in position to be in the NCAA Tournament after the team finished 16-16 last season.

Beating Georgia likely would secure an NCAA Tournament bid regardless of what the Razorbacks do in the SEC Tournament next week.

That's why the seniors said while today figures to be emotional for them during the pregame ceremony, they'll quickly turn their attention to the game.

"Senior day is great, but with the position we're in, we don't have time to be emotional or think of the importance of it," Hannahs said. "We can reflect on that when the season's over.

"We're not really into that. We're into going out and getting a win against a really good Georgia team."

Sports on 03/04/2017