HawgBeat – Hogs looking to clean things up in regular season finale

Spirits have been down for the Arkansas Razorbacks (19-11, 8-9) following an 18-point loss to No. 11 Tennessee on Tuesday, however they are going to be seeking to end the common season on a excessive word with a win over No. 23 Kentucky at Bud Walton Enviornment on Saturday.

The loss to the Volunteers was arguably the group’s worst of the season, and ahead Kamani Johnson mentioned Thursday that it resulted in a “actually, actually, actually, actually lengthy” movie session with the coaches on Wednesday.

“No one on this locker room needs to lose, so all people has been sort of vocal speaking to one another,” Johnson mentioned. “The workers has been actually vocal about it. I promise you our movie periods was very lengthy yesterday. In order a group we took accountability for it, and it’s March now. So you’ll be able to’t actually harp on issues like that. We’ve received to win and transfer on.”

As straightforward as it’s to say the group must get higher shifting ahead, they need to show it on the court docket. Head coach Eric Musselman mentioned it greatest after the loss Tuesday, the Hogs have been out-physicalled and that confirmed as they have been out-scored by 24 factors within the paint.

Whereas their metrics have not seen a lot of a drop after two-straight losses — each Quad 1 highway losses at No. 2 Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee — the Razorbacks are nonetheless trying to find a group id that they’ll lean on when it issues most.

“We’re nonetheless experimenting with performs and other ways to get totally different gamers concerned from an offensive standpoint,” Musselman mentioned. “Defensively we’ve been fairly regular all 12 months with our scheme and the way we’re going to do issues from a defensive standpoint.”

Although it ranks eleventh within the nation in defensive effectivity, Arkansas appears to have taken a step again with its safety within the paint and particularly contained in the 3-point line. Tennessee shot 60.5% from two and Alabama shot 61.9% from contained in the arc — each percentages are the No. 2 and No. 1, respectively, of any SEC opponent for the Hogs this season.

“You have a look at our blocked photographs and the way we now have, during the season, been a group that’s executed an excellent job of defending the lane,” Musselman mentioned. “We’d have favored to have gotten higher the final two video games, so we’ve received to enhance that space, definitely, in opposition to Kentucky.”

Together with sport play enchancment, Arkansas remains to be needing extra management. Junior Davonte Davis and Johnson, who might be acknowledged on senior evening Saturday, have been leaders all through the season and freshmen Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. have additionally grown as leaders of late.

“I feel that’s an space we need to proceed to develop in despite the fact that we solely have 40 minutes of regular-season basketball to play,” Musselman mentioned. “That’s one other space to proceed to develop in. I feel these have been the blokes which have tried to guide us in numerous methods at totally different instances of the 12 months.”

Regardless of beating Kentucky in convincing vogue with an 88-73 win at Rupp Enviornment on Feb. 7, this sport presents a brand new alternative for Arkansas to “get proper” going into postseason play.

“Each sport’s received its personal theme, so it doesn’t actually matter what occurred in Lexington,” Musselman mentioned. “Actually we’ve appeared on the movie on issues that we did properly and positively issues we need to get higher at in that individual sport and I do know that Coach Calipari and his workers are various things that they’ll do to get all of their… All of us need to get our greatest gamers as many good photographs as we are able to.”

The Razorbacks and Wildcats will tipoff at 1 p.m. CT Saturday inside Bud Walton Enviornment, and the sport might be broadcast on CBS.