Scouting Report Shows Eric Musselman’s Arkansas Team Has Grown, But Will SEC Game Against LSU?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas sport in opposition to LSU looks like a lifetime in the past, nevertheless it actually wasn’t. 

A lot of the state missed the start of that sport as a result of the Razorback soccer crew had blown an enormous lead within the Liberty Bowl and was clinging to a 38-38 tie when the basketball sport began. 

By the point the soccer crew took down Kansas, 55-53 in double extra time after giving up 32 straight factors, Musselman’s crew was on the cusp of halftime down in Baton Rouge.

Wanting again on that evenly watched first half by way of the lens of an opposing coach explains rather a lot about how issues went the subsequent a number of video games. 

Listed below are the notes from that perspective:

• Make Arkansas shoot jumpers exterior the paint. They fall in love with them and may’t hit them even in the event you go away them open. Shot themselves out of the half by lacking each lengthy jumper.

• Bang the freshmen round. Block a shot, put them on their bottom, beat in your chest, scream at them and they’re going to get intimidated. Do what is required to make this a person’s sport. Make it scary. Get of their heads. They are often rattled.

• Jordan Walsh is a defensive ache within the neck. Go at him early and take a look at to attract two fouls. So far as Musselman is anxious, they’re fouled out for the remainder of the half and nobody can choose up his defensive slack off the bench.

• Kamani Johnson is an aggressive participant who may cause issues. Nevertheless, he will get actually annoyed when he fouls, which could be typically contemplating his taking part in fashion.

• Davonte Davis is their finest weapon. Nevertheless, in the event you restrict his choices by clearing everybody else out of the lane, he’s much less efficient on drives. He is considering cross when he drives, so if nobody is there, it brief circuits his thoughts. Do that and shut down his mid-range jumper and you’ll be advantageous.

• Makhi Mitchell is best than he is aware of. Mushy contact, good toes. Does not leverage his dimension correctly so there are benefits to be gained on him.

That kind of analysis is why Missouri got here out in a zone, why Auburn performed in it although that they had by no means accomplished it, and why each crew since has tried to apply it to Arkansas. 

The e-book is to drive them into soar pictures by closing the lane. The e-book is to play a bodily sport that causes intimidation. 

Doing these two issues despatched Arkansas right into a funk that it did not seem like the Razorbacks have been able to escaping.

Nevertheless, doing these two issues could have additionally molded Arkansas into an NCAA Event crew that different faculties need to keep away from.

Have a look at the notes from the Ole Miss sport from the identical perspective.

• Arkansas relentlessly assaults the glass and not begins the sport sluggish with lengthy stretches of missed soar pictures.

• Davis would not want others inside to bail him out. He is locked in as a scorer. Put your finest guard on him as a result of he each brings and kills momentum.

• Mitchell not solely has elite toes inside, he has realized find out how to transfer individuals round.

• Jordan Walsh is the largest mismatch on the ground. He’s a bodily participant who can bull his strategy to the rack in the event you put a smaller participant on him and may blow by any bigger gamers you attempt to use.

• These freshmen do not get intimidated anymore. Irrespective of how a lot screaming and chest banging you do, these guys are fairly stoic. Even Black cannot be baited into a possible technical foul out of frustration. He even helps guys off the ground after scoring on them. That is going to drive our guys nuts so inform them to not do something silly.

• Large runs used to get into their heads and trigger them to take dangerous pictures and make errors. Do not rely on that now. Tape exhibits a basic calmness in the event that they get behind. Anticipate a counter run.

• Johnson will get annoyed when he fouls. Talks to the refs rather a lot. Discover a method to make use of that.

As you’ll be able to see, this can be a a lot totally different crew. It was a painful course of, however within the darkness, these younger males discovered themselves. 

Going into the primary LSU sport, this was an 11-1 crew that was as comfortable as they arrive. They could possibly be manipulated in each method doable on the courtroom, making them a simple goal. 

The present 13-6 crew would beat that 11-1 crew by 15. The Razorbacks went 2-5 and got here out higher on the opposite facet. 

As LSU barked, pounded and elbowed their strategy to victory within the second half, the Arkansas crew that started this journey appeared misplaced and scared. 

The crew LSU faces on Wednesday has been by way of some stuff. They’re beginning to resemble their mascot a bit extra and undoubtedly not get intimidated.

This would be the first probability this crew has to indicate how a lot it has grown someplace aside from a scouting report. This can be an apples to apples accounting of how a lot worth this crew received from going by way of the robust instances.

It will be actually beautiful if these Razorbacks tip-toed their strategy to 19 factors within the first half like they did down in Baton Rouge. 

The Hogs missed 10 lengthy jumpers by roughly the midway level of the primary half. They weren’t an aggressive crew then.

If LSU can get Arkansas to overlook 10 jumpers the whole first half, Tigers coach Matt McMahon will think about it a win. 

Wednesday will say rather a lot about this crew, and it is extremely probably that what it’ll say is that this is not December’s Razorbacks. 

All indications are that everybody is about to search out out that this crew lastly has what it must compete in  the SEC. 

And that may say rather a lot, as a result of the crew that walked into Baton Rouge did not.

HOGS FEED:

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LET’S NOT OVERLOOK ANTHONY BLACK, WHO IS LEADING THIS RAZORBACK TEAM RIGHT NOW

WALSH, DAVIS FINDING CONFIDENCE, DEFINING ROLES KEY TO HOGS’ WIN OVER OLE MISS

BREAKING DOWN ALL 33 FOULS CALLED AGAINST ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI

DAN ENOS HIRED FOR REASONS OTHER THAN PLAY CALLING

WHAT MIKE NEIGHBORS LEARNED IN CLOSE LOSS AT LSU HE WILL PROBABLY WANT TO USE WITH HOGS

SEC ADMITS THEY MESSED UP REVIEW, BUT NOTHING ELSE AND NO MENTION OF CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE HOGS

HOGS STILL CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO CLOSE OUT A WIN, FALLING TO MISSOURI

A COUPLE OF POSSIBILITIES FOR RAZORBACKS’ OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR OPENING

BRILES REPORTEDLY HEADED TO TCU, BUT WHO MIGHT FOLLOW?

MUSSELMAN SAYS LARGE SEC CROWDS POSSIBLY THE ISSUE WITH HOGS

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR RAZORBACKS TO HAVE AN ARGUMENT TO REACH NCAA TOURNAMENT THIS YEAR?

HOGS TIRED OF GETTING PUSHED AROUND BY SEC TEAMS

RAZORBACKS LOSING IS ONE THING, BUT BEING CLASSLESS ABOUT IT IS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY

WATCH: VANDERBILT PLAYERS ATTRIBUTE WIN TO WHAT HAPPENED AT END OF FIRST HALF

WHAT SHOULD FANS EXPECT AS FAR AS RAZORBACK LINE-UP AGAINST VANDERBILT?

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