What to watch for in Arkansas-Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas begins a difficult last week of the common season with a highway journey to Tennessee.

The Volunteers are No. 12 on this week’s Related Press Prime 25 ballot and can enter the sport at 21-8 general and 10-6 in SEC play. The Razorbacks are coming off a 1-1 week through which they defeated Georgia by 32 factors and fell 86-83 at No. 2 Alabama.

Tipoff is ready for 8 p.m. on ESPN2. Listed here are a handful of issues to keep watch over:

• Smith persevering with his roll

Arkansas freshman guard Nick Smith rose to the event final week within the Razorbacks’ video games towards Georgia and Alabama. He averaged 25 factors and knocked down 7 of 11 makes an attempt from three-point vary.

On Monday, he was named SEC freshman of the week. It was a powerful stretch for the guard, who seems to be in a rhythm with March on the horizon.

“Actually happy with his toughness, his willingness to compete,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman stated Sunday on his TV present. “And most significantly, he has an ideal will to win and hates to lose. You could possibly see it on his face within the locker room after that Alabama sport.”

The Razorbacks have scored 1.12 factors per possession with Smith on the ground since his return, in line with HoopLens. In opposition to Georgia, the determine was 1.48 PPP, and in final week’s video games it was 1.14 PPP behind a 53.8% exhibiting from deep.

Musselman gave Smith credit score for his potential to get Arkansas into its offensive units at Alabama after freshman guard Anthony Black was pressured to sit down with two first-half fouls. And when he moved off the ball and Davonte Davis assumed level guard duties, Smith was a tricky cowl coming off screens.

He completed 7 of 20 on two-point makes an attempt, which included a excessive quantity of mid-range jumpers. However he was snug taking what the protection gave him and bought to his spots most of the time.

Smith’s aggressiveness additionally bought him to the free throw line 5 instances, second most on the staff behind Ricky Council.

He was strong defensively final week, as nicely. Smith has supplied an ideal jolt on the offensive finish within the final two weeks, however it’s noteworthy that he has not stood out on protection in a adverse method.

Smith has 4 steals within the final 3 video games, and opponents are 5 of 17 from the sphere since Feb. 15 when he’s the closest Razorbacks defender.

• Offense late within the shot clock

Tennessee, which owns the No. 1 defensive effectivity ranking within the nation this season, makes opponents work for practically each bucket.

In line with KenPom knowledge, the Vols’ common defensive possession in SEC play lasts 18.2 seconds. Within the league, solely Texas A&M (18.8) defends longer on common.

Tempo of play will once more be key for the Razorbacks on the highway. And discovering methods to generate offense early within the shot clock when Tennessee’s protection isn’t set is important contemplating the Vols goal to make video games a grind.

Possessions late into the shot clock are inevitable. Tennessee is so gifted and sound defensively that it may and can create these situations. It will profit Arkansas if its open offense is sharp.

Musselman famous on his TV present that he has been happy currently with what he’s seen in that regard.

“(That’s) type of when the performs break down,” Musselman stated. “The ball is beginning to transfer much more and much more persons are touching the ball perhaps than earlier within the 12 months.”

In line with CBB Analytics, the Razorbacks have scored 1.01 PPP in 158 scoring possibilities that lasted 10-20 seconds within the final 5 video games. In scoring possibilities 20-30 seconds at size, that determine sits at 0.87 PPP.

• Frontcourt battle

There may be certain to be no scarcity of bodily play across the restricted space Tuesday in Thompson-Boling Area.

Arkansas enters the sport No. 1 within the SEC in block fee (13.6%) because of the work of Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, and a latest surge in rim safety from ahead Jalen Graham. The Arizona State switch has 7 blocks within the final 3 video games and the Mitchells have mixed for 8.

“We’ve gotten actually good at blocking photographs,” Musselman stated. “We’re among the best groups within the nation altering and altering photographs on the rim. … However our bigs, as a committee, all three of them, are doing an excellent job defending the rim.”

Tennessee has taken a mean of 26.4 three-point makes an attempt within the final 5 video games, so the Razorbacks should be dialed in on the Vols’ perimeter threats. Being strong on the inside and enjoying with nice verticality on contests might be essential, too.

Within the final 4 video games, opponents are a mixed 19 of 80 from the sphere when Graham or one of many Mitchells is the closest Arkansas defender (Graham 6/23, Makhi Mitchell 6/29, Makhel Mitchell 7/28). Moreover, freshman Jordan Walsh, who will play some small-ball 4, final weekend held Crimson Tide gamers to 2-of-12 capturing.

“This 12 months they’ve bought shot blockers,” Vols coach Rick Barnes stated Monday. “While you go in there, you higher know what you’re on the point of encounter. They actually do play extraordinarily exhausting defensively.”

Tennessee’s Olivier Nkamhoua leads the staff by a large margin in SEC play in two-point subject objective makes an attempt. He has taken 110 such photographs, hit them at a 48.2% clip and is able to a giant scoring night time, evidenced by his 27-point sport towards Texas within the Massive 12/SEC Problem.

Uros Plavsic, a 7-1 middle from Serbia, is an enforcer-type piece up entrance for the Vols. He’s not an ideal scoring risk, however Tennessee is 4-1 within the league when he scores in double figures. Plavsic is at his finest when crashing the offensive glass and offering the Vols an added toughness and further possessions.

Tobe Awaka, a 6-8 freshman ahead, has 3 or extra offensive rebounds in 4 of the final 6 video games and not too long ago scored 10 factors at Texas A&M. And Jonas Aidoo, a 6-11 ahead, owns the league’s No. 2 block fee because of a run of 12 blocks within the final 6 video games.

He’s additionally within the high 10, per KenPom, in offensive and defensive rebound fee in SEC video games.

For the season, the Vols are the fifth-best offensive rebounding staff within the nation, grabbing 37.5% of their misses. Arkansas’ entrance line should restrict second-chance alternatives and its guard should be concerned in capping defensive possessions with a rebound.

Additionally be careful for Tennessee’s Josiah-Jordan James, a 6-6 ahead with good size and measurement. He returned Saturday from an ankle damage and added 18 factors towards South Carolina.

• How Arkansas handles Zeigler

On the guard spots, the Razorbacks are as large on the ball defensively as any staff within the SEC.

That measurement and size can disrupt opposing gamers as they give the impression of being to create offense for themselves or provoke a set within the half court docket. However Arkansas has had hassle at instances, like many groups, containing smaller guards with nice quickness.

Maybe no backcourt participant within the convention is faster than Zakai Zeigler, who stands 5-9 and averages 11 factors per sport.

Zeigler possesses game-changing pace and finishes nicely on the rim for a guard of his stature. Limiting his drive-and-kick possibilities figures to be large, too, given he owns the league’s high help fee (43.8%).

“There’s little question that he’s getting game-planned for each night time,” Barnes stated. “I feel he has dealt with it nice. He’s felt the load of the world on his shoulders at instances. … Considered one of his largest flaws is when he makes a mistake, he desires to repair it proper then and there. Generally that may compound it.

“He’s studying tips on how to play (level guard), tips on how to handle a staff and run a staff. He’s executed a very terrific job with quite a bit being positioned on his shoulders.”

In 2 conferences final season, Arkansas held Zeigler to 2 of 12 on two-point photographs, 4 of 8 from distance and 6 assists towards 6 turnovers.

Zeigler has averaged 14 factors, 9.5 assists and 1 turnover in Tennessee’s final 2 houses video games, and he’s coming off a 13-point, 11-assist double-double towards South Carolina. He has 5 double-digit help video games in 2023.