Arkansas men’s basketball and Bud Walton Arena were on the sports’ grandest stage with ESPN College GameDay in Fayetteville on Saturday, but it was not enough to cure all the woes for the Razorbacks as No. 6 Kentucky escaped town with a 63-57 win.
It was the third consecutive loss for the Hoop Hogs, and Eric Musselman’s squad finds itself sinking in unchartered waters at 10-10 overall and 1-6 in SEC play.
Arkansas looked up for the challenge early as it dug its heels in defensively and got just enough offense to carry a 26-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
No team led by more than two possessions in a back-and-forth second half until Kentucky pulled away in the final three minutes
Here is a rapid rundown of how things played out plus who and what stood out in Saturday’s tilt at Bud Walton Arena.
HOOP HOGS SHORTHANDED AGAIN
While Arkansas returned leading scorer Tramon Mark — who missed Wednesday’s contest at Ole Miss due to migraines — but the Razorbacks were far from full strength.
Redshirt sophomore forward Trevon Brazile was present, but inactive at Bud Walton Arena as he missed Saturday’s tilt with Kentucky due to right knee soreness. Arkansas was also without senior guard Davonte Davis, who has stepped away from the program.
The returning duo entered play responsible for 15.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and 36 combined starts as two of Arkansas’ three leaders in minutes played.
Kentucky was shorthanded as well with standout freshman guard Rob Dillingham unavailable due to a stomach virus.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/3NaZ-wlCZoo?si=ShZqgXWWETeZtwut
LINEUP LIMBO CONTINUES FOR ARKANSAS
Eric Musselman has been mixing and matching lineups all season and had no choice but to continue the rotation roulette with Brazile and Davis unavailable.
Arkansas went with El Ellis, Khalif Battle, Tramon Mark, Chandler Lawson and Jalen Graham in its starting lineup, a combination that had not logged a single minute of floor time together prior to Saturday’s tip.
The early subs for the Hoop Hogs included Makhi Mitchell, Jeremiah Davenport, Layden Blocker and Joseph Pinion.
RETURN OF THREE E’S MAKES DIFFERENCE EARLY
While the losses have been frustrating, it has been the lack of want to from the Razorbacks that has been most maddening during its SEC funk. After a week of being told they didn’t deserve to have College GameDay on campus, Arkansas looked rejuvenated, connected and like a bunch carrying a chip on its shoulder early on.
Effort, energy and enthusiasm can make a ton of difference, which is why they are the pillars of Musselman’s program. For the first time in a month, Arkansas looked like the aggressor and dictated the flow of the game.
The defense was disruptive as Kentucky missed 15 of its first 16 shots. Offensively, it wasn’t exactly a smooth operation, but improved ball movement, a constant attack and some timely baskets had the Hogs out to a much-needed double-digit lead midway through the first half.
‘CATS CLOSE THE GAP
Arkansas returned the favor with 11 misses on its final 12 shots of the first half. The Razorbacks did not connect from the field in the final 2:40 before the break.
Meanwhile, Antonio Reeves — who dropped 37 in his last visit to Bud Walton — provided some moments of uncomfortable deja vu with five straight points for Kentucky as it started to settle into the game. The Wildcats went from down 10 at the 7:41 mark to within one possession (26-24) at halftime.
HOGS LAND FIRST PUNCH OF SECOND HALF
A fast start was critical for Arkansas in this game. The Hogs got what it needed at the tip and doubled down by throwing the first punch of the second half.
After Kentucky quickly tied the game, Arkansas hit the Wildcats with a 9-3 run featuring five points from Khalif Battle and an El Ellis to Jalen Graham alley-oop that set the tone and gave the Razorbacks some breathing room with a 37-31 lead five minutes into the period.
KENTUCKY ANSWERS EMPHATICALLY, TAKES FIRST LEAD
Arkansas had no time to exhale before Kentucky cranked things up a few notches and answered with a haymaker of its own.
Antonio Reeves knocked down his first tripe of the game, and freshman sensation Reed Sheppard woke up with a driving score that was immediately followed by a steal and transition flush that gave the Wildcats their first lead of the contest and forced an Arkansas timeout with 12:54 to play.
It was the first heavy hit of adversity for the Razorbacks, a group that has struggled to respond all season when things get dicey.
RAZORBACKS BATTLE, STILL CRUMBLE IN CRUNCH TIME
Arkansas deserves a lot of credit for rising up off the mat after a pair of entirely uninspired efforts and battling with a top-10 program without a pair of season-long starters.
Kentucky delivered what felt like dagger after dagger as Reeves and Tre Mitchell caught fire from three, but the Razorbacks continued to keep pace with a team-effort of timely defensive stops and tough shot-making to stay right within striking distance into the closing minutes.
Unfortunately for the Fayetteville faithful, the Hoop Hogs crumbled in crunch time…
Trailing by one as the clock ticked below three minutes to play, Arkansas let Reeves loose to drill another three, and Kentucky turned back-to-back Razorback turnovers into five points to push ahead to its largest lead of the night, 61-52.
Arkansas got no closer than six the rest of the way…
GAME BALL GOES TO…
For the second consecutive season, Kentucky guard Antonio Reeves sent Razorback fans home in a foul mood as he torched the nets in Bud Walton Arena and hit multiple big shots down the stretch as the Wildcats pulled away.
Reeves finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-20 shooting with four made 3-pointers on the night.
TRIO OF HOGS REACH DOUBLE-FIGURES
It was a rough offensive night for Arkansas once again, but the Razorbacks had three player score in double figures for the first time since the blowout loss at Florida on Jan. 13.
Makhi Mitchell led the way with a solid 12-point, 13-rebound double-double. Tramon Mark and Kahlif Battle scored 11 points a piece despite combining to shoot 8 of 27 from the field.
STORYTELLING STATS
- Arkansas was excellent defensively in the paint, limiting Kentucky to 13-of-31 shooting around the rim. However, the perimeter defense was a problem area once again as the Wildcats shot 45% (9-20) from beyond the arc.
- The Razorbacks continue to struggle mightily on the offensive end of the floor in SEC play. Arkansas was held under 60 points for the third time in league contests and shot just 33.3% from the field and 22.2% from three with 13 turnovers to just 9 assists.
- A couple stats that reflected Arkansas’ improved overall effort include only allowing a dozen fast-break points to the high-tempo Wildcats and winning the battle on the backboards, 44-39.
When the stars aren’t starring a movement to high effort blue collar workers makes a lot of sense. Nice to see that they will still play for Muss. Have they excised a cancer from the roster and where can we get an answer to this question?