TULSA — College of Arkansas freshman guard Anthony Black mentioned the No. 9-ranked Razorbacks aren’t decreasing their expectations within the wake of dropping standout ahead Trevon Brazile to a season-ending knee damage.
“Any time you lose a great participant like that, it sucks and it hurts, as a result of that’s like our brother,” Black mentioned. “A few of us had been fairly emotional after we found out he was damage.
“However we nonetheless belief in our teammates that it’s subsequent man up. I feel we will nonetheless do what we’re making an attempt to do, and for certain I feel we’re nonetheless a top-10 workforce so long as we play as much as how we will play.
“Now we’re simply going to go so much tougher for TB since he can’t play.”
The Razorbacks (8-1) could make a press release about their resolve towards Oklahoma (7-2) when the groups play at midday immediately within the BOK Middle.
It’s the second consecutive yr Arkansas and Oklahoma are assembly in a impartial website matchup after the unranked Sooners beat the No. 11 Razorbacks 88-66 final season.
The Sooners handed Arkansas its most-lopsided loss final season and it was the most important margin the Razorbacks have misplaced to a non-conference opponent in Eric Musselman’s 4 seasons as coach.
Oklahoma by no means trailed after leaping out to a 13-0 lead, and Musselman was ejected by official Gerry Pollard with 3:30 left after drawing two technical fouls.
Musselman isn’t dwelling on the sport.
“Whatever the final result [today], I feel final yr’s sport is irrelevant,” Musselman mentioned. “We made an Elite Eight final yr.
“Oklahoma beat us, however we had been in a position to recuperate from that sport, and we had been in a position to make use of it as an enormous a part of our instructing all year long, how that sport unfolded.”
Whereas Arkansas beat No. 1 Gonzaga and reached the NCAA West Regional closing earlier than dropping to Duke in San Francisco to complete 28-9, Oklahoma needed to accept an NIT bid and a 19-16 document after dropping a second-round house sport to St. Bonaventure.
5 Sooners are again who performed towards Arkansas final season, together with returning starters in senior middle Tanner Groves, who scored 16 factors, and senior ahead Jalen Hill, who scored 11.
Junior guard Davonte “Devo” Davis, who led Arkansas with a career-high 26 factors, is the one present Razorback who performed towards Oklahoma final season.
Arkansas has 10 newcomers — excluding the injured Brazile — and Oklahoma has added place to begin guard Grant Sherfield, a senior switch from Nevada.
“It’s nothing actually we’re drawing on from final yr,” Sooners Coach Porter Moser mentioned. “It’s about what we now have to do that yr to beat them.
“I believed final yr was a fantastic environment. Thought it was a fantastic sport. However final yr was final yr.”
Black, averaging 13.1 factors, 5.4 rebounds and three.6 assists, is one in all three McDonald’s All-Individuals in Arkansas’ freshman class together with guard Nick Smith and ahead Jordan Walsh.
Smith, who missed the primary six video games recovering from a knee damage, is averaging 12.7 factors after scoring a game-high 22 in Arkansas’ 65-58 victory over North Carolina-Greensboro on Tuesday night time. Walsh is averaging 6.3 factors.
“I feel we’d like him to step up so much, play so much higher than he’s been enjoying,” Black mentioned of Walsh. “He performs actually onerous, and there’s been lots of video games this yr the place he’s actually helped us out so much.
“I simply assume we’d like him to be actually engaged and play with lots of power, as a result of when he does that, he does good issues for our workforce and we simply roll smoother, particularly on the defensive finish.
“He can get us a few stops in a row, a pair run-out dunks. He may also make photographs, get to the rim, so we simply want him to have lots of power and hold enjoying onerous.”
The Razorbacks have the SEC’s second-leading scorer in junior guard Ricky Council, a switch from Wichita State averaging 18.4 factors. Makhi Mitchell, a 6-9 senior switch from Rhode Island, had 13 factors and 14 rebounds towards UNCG.
“They put stress on you in so many areas,” Moser mentioned of the Razorbacks. “They put stress on you in transition. They put stress on you with the best way they will create and play-make.
“They put stress on you with their athleticism and their potential to attain in bunches and how briskly they will play.
“They put stress on you with their protection. They’re going to press you, they’re going to select you up.
“They’re going to be lengthy and athletic and so they play onerous. All these issues a top-10 workforce does.”
Sherfield is averaging 17.1 factors and 4.4 assists and taking pictures 55.6% on three-pointers (25 of 45) and 87.9% on free throws (29 of 33).
Musselman, Nevada’s coach for 4 seasons earlier than coming to Arkansas, mentioned he nonetheless likes to observe the Wolf Pack, so he’s aware of Sherfield’s sport.
“He’s a dynamic scorer,” Musselman mentioned. “He can actually shoot the three — 11 made threes in his final two video games.”
Sherfield hit 6 of 8 threes and scored 21 factors in Oklahoma’s 70-66 loss at Villanova final Saturday and hit 5 of 6 threes and scored 24 factors when the Sooners beat Missouri-Kansas Metropolis 75-63 on Tuesday night time.
“He’s received a very good off-the-dribble pull-up,” Musselman mentioned. “So he’s a very powerful cowl.”
Right now might be Arkansas’ fourth impartial website sport after the Razorbacks went 2-1 on the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
“It’s going to be an enormous sport,” Black mentioned. “I feel we’re able to rise to the event and are available out and play with lots of power in entrance of lots of people.”