Arkansas’ men’s basketball team returns to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday for a showdown against No. 6 Kentucky. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. on ESPN.
College GameDay is in town, but anticipation for the game has fizzled for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Razorbacks are struggling mightily in SEC play at 1-5. And, secondly, the Wildcats were blown out at South Carolina on Tuesday.
Curtis Wilkerson and Scottie Bordelon are back with four things to keep an eye on Saturday evening. This is the 4-Point Play:
• Stay attached to Kentucky’s top shooters
The Wildcats own one of the most explosive offenses in the sport, and perimeter shooting is a big-time strength of John Calipari’s squad. For the season, Kentucky is No. 4 in offensive efficiency – 122.6 points per 100 possessions, per KenPom – and No. 9 in three-point percentage at 40.0%.
In SEC games, the Wildcats are second in efficiency and three-point shooting. They have a number of weapons, including Antonio Reeves and Reed Sheppard, who have each hit 12 threes vs. league opponents.
The Razorbacks have to stay attached to all shooters, but especially Reeves (41.9% above the break) and Sheppard (62.7% above the break). The duo has hit 47.5% of its 181 three-point looks.
Arkansas is 13th in league games defending the three. If the Razorbacks hope to compete, they can’t lose shooters and let them get loose.
“We have had too many sequences where we’ve got guys in no-man’s land. They’re not going to the glass and they’re not getting back [on defense],” Eric Musselman said Friday. “It equates to our record in league play. Transition defense, for sure. Will it be emphasized today? Absolutely. Identifying shooters? Yes.
“Who are the shooters? [DJ] Wagner. [Rob] Dillingham. Reeves. Sheppard. [Justin] Edwards can make a three. [Tre] Mitchell at the 4. And then obviously the big guy, [Zvonimir Ivisic]. All those guys are red shooters.
“We’ve got to get to them, close air space on them and contain the basketball in transition.”
– Scottie Bordelon
• How healthy are the Hogs?
Ideally, Arkansas would be operating at full strength against Kentucky on Saturday, but it appears the status of two key contributors will remain uncertain until tip.
Leading-scorer Tramon Mark missed Wednesday’s game at Ole Miss due to migraines, and the Razorbacks scuffled offensively without his 17.8 points per game.
Trevon Brazile has been struggling on both ends of the floor in SEC play, but his length and athleticism feel like must-haves for the Hogs against the Wildcats. He sat out the second half in Oxford with what has been described as knee soreness.
“I would assume that Tramon should be getting better each day with the migraine,” Musselman said. “That’s usually the history of how migraines go, but [they are] also very, very unpredictable.
“With TB, he would like to play, for sure, but he’s got some soreness. There’s a couple different thought processes. Does he rest? Does he see how it feels before tip? I would say, as of this moment, at best [he is] a game-time decision.”
As Musselman alluded to in his postgame presser Wednesday, injuries create opportunities for others to step up. Realistically, Arkansas’ chances go from slim to virtually none if it winds up without Mark and Brazile.
– Curtis Wilkerson
• Getting out to a good start is a must
Arkansas has come out of the gates flat in four of its six SEC games.
At Georgia, the Razorbacks fell behind 9-2. At Florida, they trailed 27-9. At Ole Miss, Arkansas was down 12-2 in a flash. And at home against South Carolina, the Gamecocks led 13-6 early.
A lifeless open Saturday could spell doom for the Razorbacks. Arkansas making some shots and coming up with defensive stops prior to the first media timeout would lift team confidence and get the crowd involved.
Musselman noted that was the case against Texas A&M. Can the Razorbacks make it happen again?
– Scottie Bordelon
• Will College GameDay galvanize the Razorbacks?
It should not be too much for an SEC coach to ask his team to play with maximum effort and energy, but for whatever reason it has been a chore for Musselman to get those traits out of this group of Razorbacks.
What, if anything, is it going to take to get a renewed sense of urgency and competitive nature out of this team?
Simply taking the floor at Bud Walton Arena has been motivation enough in the past, but Arkansas has already taken a home loss to UNC-Greensboro, been pounded by 32 points against Auburn, and trailed wire-to-wire in a 13-point defeat to South Carolina.
If the pride of playing in front of the home crowd is not doing the trick, perhaps the knowledge of being on the sport’s biggest stage will light a much-needed spark under the Hogs.
Regardless of how things are going in the present, getting College GameDay on campus is huge for the program. Want it to come back any time soon? Give them a reason with a performance representative of the standard set the past three years.
– Curtis Wilkerson
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