AUBURN | Arkansas opened SEC play with a relatively comfortable 97-85 win at Auburn.

Three weeks later, a much different and much improved Tigers basketball team heads to Arkansas with a chance to win its third consecutive conference game.

The difference for AU has been Sharife Cooper. Since earning his eligibility and stepping into the starting lineup at point guard against Alabama, the freshman has led AU to a 2-1 record including a close loss to the Tide and wins over Georgia and Kentucky.

The Razorbacks, on the other hand, have lost two consecutive road games at LSU and Alabama.

“I hope our defense has improved. It has to,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “And I think Devan Cambridge has been great off the bench, he's really been great playing with Sharife. We don't have great depth at the guard spot, but we're playing better there.

“They're fast, they're quick, they're athletic. And, you know, I think the last couple games, they're at LSU and at Alabama, both those two teams played great. We're maybe -- hopefully -- a little better defensively.”

The Razorbacks scored 27 points off 20 AU turnovers in the first matchup. Cutting down on those turnovers and doing a better job in transition defense are the two areas Pearl has tried to focus his young team on this week.

“We've got to be able to get back in transition. They're so good in transition,” Pearl said. “I just really like their team. Their guards are experienced, they're old, they get downhill, they get you off the step-back, which hurt in our game. We'll have to play better against this team.

“This would be our best win, if we can get it -- at Arkansas, an NCAA tournament team on the road. That's what this is. So we've got to be able to -- we can't make too many mistakes.”

Both teams enter the matchup 2-4 in the conference. Auburn has won four of the last seven matchups in Fayetteville. Tip-off at Bud Walton Arena is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network.