Arkansas (8-10, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) isn’t sneaking into Rupp Arena unnoticed.

The Razorbacks have the worst overall record in the conference, but the squad coached by former UK ‘unforgettable’ John Pelphrey has the Cats’ full attention. Specifically, Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke.

“I recruited him really hard,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “I loved him as a high school product, and I’ve watched him in the tapes I’ve watched – four or five tapes – and he doesn’t need a whole lot of time to get it off, he works real hard to get shots off and if he takes 15 threes and hits 11, it’s been a heck of a start to our season.”

The 6-foot guard from Verdigris, Okla., leads the SEC in 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goal percentage, and is second in points per game average. Clarke’s proficiency from behind the arc poses the biggest threat for the Cats who have struggled defending the 3-point shot all season.

Senior guard Ramon Harris was very complimentary of the sharp shooter on Friday, saying Clarke might have the fastest release he’s seen, but he doesn’t expect them to guard him in a special manner. Harris said what Clarke does for Arkansas this season, is similar to what former UK guard Jodie Meeks did for the Cats last season.

“He’s a guy that definitely brings a lot of energy to his team,” Harris said. “It seems like when they need a basket he’s the guy that they go to.”

While the Razorbacks have had their struggles this year, including a four-game skid to Morgan State, East Tennessee State, South Alabama and a struggling Oklahoma team. But the Razorbacks now have starting point guard Courtney Fortson back and they’ve played better basketball since.

“I think if Fortson had been here all year they’d probably be, I’m guessing, 14-4,” Calipari said. “They’d probably be 2-2 in the league, and 14-4 overall.”

Fortson fueled the Razorbacks to a competitive outing with then-No. 1 Texas and a near upset of SEC West favorite Mississippi State. Fortson, in his four games back with the team, is averaging 16.3 points and 8.3 assists per game.

The Cats will be playing for a No. 1 national ranking on Saturday. As the lone remaining unbeaten team in the country, the Cats said they know they’ll get Arkansas’s best shot, but the No. 1 ranking is only one step in their journey. Freshman guard John Wall said to lose and not get the No. 1 ranking would be bad, but it what would be worse is that their goal of going undefeated would be missed.

“We have goals that we’re trying to reach further down in the season,” Wall said. “Like Coach said, we want the No. 1 seed overall for the tournament.”

In order to obtain that goal, the Cats will have to cut down on their lapses in games once they get a lead on teams. Against Florida on the road the Cats blew a 15-point lead before defeating the Gators by 12. In their next game against Auburn, UK blew a 19-point lead before escaping with the five-point victory.

Calipari said with a player like Clarke on the opposing team, the Cats will have to stay aware.

“(Clarke will) come down and you think you’re fine and all of a sudden he’ll make two bad shots,” Calipari said. “He took a bad shot, and he made it. And now you go home with an ‘L’. So we have to guard against that letdown in this game.”