It will be hard for Auburn men’s basketball to hit a higher regular season high than it did last Saturday.

The No. 1 Tigers scored a road win over No. 2 Alabama, a game in which they never trailed and solidified their spot as the top team in college basketball.

Now, Auburn returns home to play an Arkansas team that is underachieving, but certainly not lacking talent. The Razorbacks are currently 15-10 (4-8 SEC), but have wins over teams such as Michigan and Kentucky, and rank 39th in KenPom’s efficiency ratings.

“Arkansas is talented enough and good enough to beat anyone in our league,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said during his Tuesday news conference, “And they’ve obviously proven it.”

Coming off arguably Auburn’s biggest regular season win in program history, Pearl was asked how the team is moving onto the next game and avoiding a letdown at home.

While the team is experienced, Pearl talked about being honest with the group and said the players understand the challenge that Arkansas presents.

“After the win at Alabama, I wanted the guys to go back to campus. We knew that Toomer’s Corner would have been rolled. We’d get back in time in order for those guys to kinda go out a little bit, enjoy the victory,” Pearl said. “But in the Alabama press conference, Johni Broome talked about Arkansas. We talked about Arkansas Saturday night right after the game. And so, they understand.”

Arkansas is coming off an eight-point loss at Texas A&M, but won three of its last four before that game, with the one loss coming by four to Alabama.

“This is a very talented team that’s playing well right now and, obviously, needs something a little more to make sure they’re in the Big Dance,” Pearl said. “So, our guys understand that Arkansas understands the prize that is on these 40 minutes and what a win for them would do.”

Auburn was able to avoid a letdown last time it beat a top 10 team, defeating LSU on the road by double digits after beating then No. 6 Tennessee days prior. This time, the Tigers are at home, but will face a far more talented group.

Wednesday night’s game between Auburn and Arkansas is set to tip off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. It will also be John Calipari’s first game against Auburn as Arkansas’ head coach.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m