FAYETTEVILLE — Ninth-ranked Arkansas is a part of the sphere on the Maui Invitational for the primary time because the 2013-14 season.

The Razorbacks are off to a 3-0 begin, and so they play their first sport within the occasion towards Louisville on Monday at 4 p.m. Central on ESPN2. 

Listed below are 5 issues to observe throughout Arkansas’ time in Hawaii:

Defensive depth

Within the early phases of the earlier two seasons, it has taken Arkansas coach Eric Musselman’s groups practically a dozen video games — and an embarrassing loss or two — to completely purchase in to what the Razorbacks’ workers desires on a nightly foundation on the defensive finish.

Maybe to the shock of some, Musselman included, Arkansas has largely been locked in defensively from the get-go. The Razorbacks will enter their three-game stretch on the Maui Invitational having allowed 54 factors per sport.

Their opponents so far have made 34.4% of their subject aim makes an attempt and 22.2% from three-point vary. To place Arkansas’ three-point protection into perspective, the Razorbacks have made solely 13 threes themselves.

They’ve given up 12, and have the nation’s No. 15 three-point protection.

Opponents have made 40.8% of two-point appears to be like. Mix these issues with a defensive turnover price of 28.4%, Arkansas is getting into Monday’s sport towards Louisville (0-3) as the highest protection within the occasion from an effectivity standpoint, permitting 85.9 factors per 100 possessions, in response to KenPom.

“This group’s completed a extremely good job of understanding scouting experiences, which is a shock,” Musselman stated. “Actually pleased with how we defended. I believe once we do drills in follow, they do a extremely good job, surprisingly, as a result of I assumed perhaps this might actually need to evolve.

“Their physique language is shopping for in the place perhaps prior to now, we have had some guys who obtained bored doing our station work.”

In keeping with CBB Analytics, the Razorbacks’ defensive score sits at 73.3, which locations them within the 99th percentile nationally. The location additionally has a metric referred to as “Hakeem Share,” a determine that’s the sum of a crew’s steal proportion and block proportion.

Arkansas’ Hakeem Share is 28.8% (94th percentile).

The Razorbacks have been spectacular on the defensive finish in quite a lot of methods, from diving on the ground for free balls and tipping the 50-50 balls within the route of teammates to masking for each other in rotations to off-ball defenders digging for steals on opponents’ dribble-drives. Arkansas’ connectivity is forward of the place many thought it could be in late November.

And it’s what makes the Razorbacks, in response to some oddsmakers, the favourite to win the Maui Invitational.

Ricky Council’s offensive output

The Wichita State switch is off to a beyond-expectations sort of begin on the offensive finish.

Via three video games, Council is averaging 18.7 factors on 57.9% taking pictures. The 56 factors scored are his most over a three-game stretch in the identical season in his school profession.

Council’s second-best run got here final season when he added 54 factors towards Tulane, Cincinnati and Central Florida. He scored a career-high 31 factors towards the Knights behind a 16-of-20 night time on the free-throw line.

The 6-6 guard has flashed a three-level sport that has led to an offensive score, per KenPom, of 120.4.

Council is second on the crew with 3 three-pointers, he has knocked down 3 two-point jumpers exterior the lane, and he has a team-high 12 scores on the rim on 14 makes an attempt. His 13 free-throw makes an attempt lead Arkansas and are one other measure of his aggressiveness.

Council’s confidence seems sky excessive. The important thing query heading into the Razorbacks’ sequence of video games: Can he maintain his present degree of play towards higher competitors?

If I needed to guess, I might say his effort and vitality won’t wane through the journey, and that in itself will result in productive video games.

As of Saturday, Council was No. 3 within the SEC in scoring behind Florida’s Colin Castleton and Alabama’s Brandon Miller. However he’s completed much more on that finish than simply rating.

In keeping with KenPom information, Council has assisted on 21.2% of Arkansas’ scores when on the ground. Within the SEC, that determine ranks twenty third — not dangerous for a participant who has not been counted on for an excessive amount of ball dealing with in his school profession.

Dealing with the stage

Given their varied basketball experiences and backgrounds, most of the gamers who make up the Razorbacks’ roster aren’t unfamiliar with the nationwide scene or taking part in in distinctive venues.

That might be a bonus of kinds, I suppose.

However the Maui Invitational is a special deal. It’s the showcase occasion through the week of Thanksgiving, and the sort of spectacle that pulls each the die-hard school basketball fan and the informal one simply hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the best professional prospects within the subject.

The environment contained in the Lahaina Civic Middle, which seats as much as 2,400 individuals, is one thing I anticipate the Razorbacks will embrace. It’s an intimate crowd, and I think about Arkansas can have a wholesome variety of supporters in attendance.

“I believe we’ll be good to play in that setting,” freshman guard Anthony Black stated. “We’ve obtained lots of players, and lots of people rise as much as the problem. I believe taking part in in an setting like that can most likely elevate us, to be trustworthy.”

Musselman stated following the Razorbacks’ 71-56 win over South Dakota State on Wednesday that he is aware of for a reality Arkansas can be prepared for its video games. Just like their run within the NCAA Match final season and journey to Europe, the Razorbacks are mixing enjoyable and basketball.

Browsing classes have been on deck Saturday, and walkthroughs on the seaside are probably all through the week.

“I can promise you there may be one crew that’s going to be targeted to play, and that’s us,” Musselman stated. “We’re by no means going to do one thing in any respect that hurts our preparation. 

“It’s my perception on a Saturday and also you don’t play till Monday, in the event you go hang around and do one thing you’ve by no means completed, hopefully it helps your psychological state in addition to your emotional state.”

Given the upcoming uptick in competitors, there’s a sturdy probability the Razorbacks come face-to-face with adversity throughout their keep in Hawaii. How will Arkansas reply?

“I believe if all of us keep linked, keep collectively, I don’t suppose it’ll be any completely different than taking part in at Bud (Walton Enviornment),” junior guard Davonte Davis stated. “In follow, we’re making ready for what’s upcoming for us.

“Us being prepared as a crew and as a collective group, we’ll all come collectively and be ready.”

Razorbacks’ front-court depth

It’s clear that Trevon Brazile and Makhi Mitchell are the Razorbacks’ prime front-court gamers. Mitchell, the Rhode Island switch, is the highest canine when it comes to a conventional large.

Mitchell, so far, is averaging 20.3 minutes per sport. The opposite forwards: Jalen Graham 9.5, Kamani Johnson 7.3 and Makhel Mitchell 5.0.

Arkansas will probably want stretches of high quality play from that group of three on a number of events on this event format.

Graham has been up and down in his two appearances this season. Arkansas would definitely take a repeat of his Fordham efficiency in no less than one sport, and fewer of his high-usage outing towards South Dakota State through which he had 2 factors on 1-of-4 taking pictures, 6 rebounds and a couple of turnovers in 8 minutes.

Makhel Mitchell has but to obtain his first prolonged run with the Razorbacks. He performed 4 minutes aghast Fordham and 6 vs. South Dakota State.

In these restricted minutes, he’s 0 of two from the ground with 3 rebounds, 1 help, 2 turnovers and a couple of steals. With the ability to sub in a physique like him to switch Makhi Mitchell could be a actual luxurious in a three-games-in-three-days situation.

Johnson has been so-so so far within the season. He had 4 rebounds — 3 offensive — within the win over South Dakota State, however with that got here 3 turnovers and three fouls in simply 9 minutes.

Arkansas would profit tremendously from Makhel Mitchell, Graham and Johnson doing the little issues effectively and impacting the sport with their vitality and energy when referred to as upon. Graham has the power to attain in bunches, clearly.

The fast turnarounds might provide Johnson and his rebounding motor an ideal probability to steal possessions and buckets from probably drained legs on the opposite aspect.

However above all else, every participant simply must star in his function.

Get to know Louisville

The Cardinals have battled extreme rising pains early in Kenny Payne’s tenure. They’ve 3 one-point losses to Bellarmine, Wright State and Appalachian State, who’ve a median KenPom score, as of Saturday night time, of 208.

One in all Louisville’s chief issues is turnovers on each ends.

For one, it has dedicated a turnover on 24.5% of its possessions, in response to KenPom information. And defensively, the Cardinals have compelled a miscue on solely 15.2% of possessions.

The location additionally reveals Louisville, which has misplaced 18 of its final 21 video games courting to Jan. 8, has a non-steal turnover price of 15.7%. That’s troublesome. Solely six groups have a worse mark nationally, per KenPom.

El Ellis is the identify to know for the Cardinals. He’s averaging a team-high 24 factors per sport on 47.2% taking pictures and is 10 of 27 (37%) from three-point vary.

“He’s a dynamic scorer,” Musselman stated. “We’re going to need to shrink the ground, we’re going to need to spy on him, we’re going to need to have actually good transition protection.”

Ellis, who has taken 31 extra pictures than some other Cardinals participant, additionally leads the crew with 10 assists and 16 turnovers. He totaled eight turnovers within the loss to Wright State and 5 extra towards Appalachian State.

Former Tennessee ahead Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is taking part in effectively for the Cardinals, averaging 10.3 factors and a team-high 8.7 rebounds in 30.7 minutes per sport. He turned in a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in Louisville’s final sport.

Huntley-Hatfield in March had 7 factors on 2 of 6 from the ground, and 4 rebounds in Tennessee’s residence win over the Razorbacks. He scored one level and grabbed two rebounds within the Vols’ highway loss to Arkansas.

Mike James (11.0) and Jae’Lyn Withers (10.7) spherical out the Cardinals’ double-figure scorers. James, a 6-5 redshirt freshman, scored 16 factors within the season-opening loss to Bellarmine. He had 17 whole factors within the crew’s subsequent two video games.

James has made 5 of 10 three-point makes an attempt, good for second on the crew.

Withers, a 6-9 redshirt junior, had 15 factors and 11 rebounds towards Wright State. In Louisville’s final outing, although, he had 3 turnovers and 5 fouls in 10 minutes and didn’t rating or seize a rebound.

“We now have to try to go focus and win our first sport and see what occurs from there,” Musselman stated. “I advised the crew, Louisville goes to place a streak collectively, and so they’re going to play an A-plus sport someday right here within the close to future.

“I can assure that.”