Arkansas will try to grab its second road win of the week – and season – Saturday in Baton Rouge. Tipoff at LSU is set for 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 91-84 win at Missouri on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Tigers will enter on a three-game skid, with losses to Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.
Unlike Arkansas, LSU did not play a mid-week game, so the Tigers own a rest advantage.
Curtis Wilkerson and Scottie Bordelon are back with several things to keep an eye on in this game. This is the 4-Point Play:
• Does Arkansas run it back with the offensive game plan?
The Razorbacks were nearly flawless in their offensive execution Wednesday at Missouri.
They cut way, way down on three-point attempts and hammered the Tigers in the lane and at the rim with 56 paint points. Arkansas finished 21 of 26 at the free throw line as well.
Look for the Razorbacks to attempt to do the same at LSU.
According to KenPom data, the Razorbacks rank third in SEC play in free throw rate (not percentage), and, in league games, Missouri is the only team that has sent opponents to the line more regularly than the Bayou Bengals. Again, the objective should be to attack, attack and attack some more.
LSU’s perimeter defense has been good inside the SEC (30.3%), ranking third. But it’s middle of the pack in terms of defending two-point shots (49.8%).
— Scottie Bordelon
• Will Keyon Menifield take command of point guard position?
Menifield was the latest to stake his claim to the lead guard role with a 16-point, 3-assist, 2-rebound effort in 32 minutes of action at Missouri. Ironically, it came on the heels of a DNP a few days earlier against Kentucky.
There is no denying the high-octane sophomore is the closest thing Arkansas has to a true point guard offensively. When he is on the floor, the ball movement improves, pace picks up, and the Razorbacks become a harder bunch to guard.
The main questions with Menifield rest on the defensive end of the floor, but he more than held his own against Mizzou’s backcourt.
LSU has a bigger and better set of guards, but freshman Mike Williams feels like a good assignment for Menifield. When the Tigers deploy dynamic point guard Jalen Cook with bowling ball Trae Hannibal, things could potentially get a bit more dicey.
— Curtis Wilkerson
• Three-point defense is a must for the Razorbacks
Arkansas clicking on all cylinders on offense at Missouri masked the fact that the Tigers knocked down half of their 20 three-point attempts. Giving up 50% from deep is usually a sure-fire way to lose on the road.
Defending the three is a major key for the Razorbacks this weekend. LSU is shooting 35.5% beyond the arc in the SEC and is on a run of 4 straight games with 10-plus threes made.
Jordan Wright, a 6-6 transfer from Vanderbilt, and Williams (6-3) have combined to hit 37.9% of their threes in league play. Tyrell Ward, a 6-6 shooting guard, is also 12 of 25 against SEC teams.
The Razorbacks are last in three-point percentage against inside the league at 37.5%. Arkansas hasn’t held a team under 6 threes, and it has allowed 9-plus threes 5 times.
The Tigers have been most effective this season in the corners, per CBB Analytics, at 43%. In SEC play, LSU is above 34% on both wings.
— Scottie Bordelon
• Can Arkansas’ frontcourt win third consecutive matchup?
The surge from Arkansas’ Trevon Brazile-less forward trio of Makhi Mitchell, Jalen Graham and Chandler Lawson has been a large part of why the Hogs are showing signs of turning a corner.
Musselman praised his bigs after outplaying Kentucky, and they were dominant in Wednesday’s victory at Missouri.
Mitchell has logged back-to-back double-doubles and finally looks like the player Arkansas expected him to be after running it back with him in the offseason.
Graham has been playing with supreme confidence and added passing and disruptive defense to his scoring bag in recent outings.
LSU 7-footer Will Baker is a crafty offensive player who can step out and knock down the three. He’s averaging 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
The Tigers also have a pair of 6-10 forwards to deploy in former 5-star Jalen Reed, who is back for his sophomore campaign, along with senior Derek Fountain, who put 14 and 10 on the Hogs in Baton Rouge last season.
— Curtis Wilkerson