First Half Reaction: Arkansas vs. UConn

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – One half is in the books and it has been an absolute disaster for the Arkansas Razorbacks as they trail 46-29 in what may be the worst defensive performance ever under Eric Musselman.

At no point has anyone looked like he knew where he's supposed to be on defense, and outside of Kamani Johnson, no one is willing to fight for rebounds.

If you're looking for a bright side, Arkansas held UConn without a field goal during the final four minutes of the half. Of course, the flip side is that Arkansas didn't score a single point in the final two minutes.

Length has been a problem for Arkansas and that's something the Razorbacks have not faced all season. The way the game is trending, the only path for Arkansas to get back in it is to create foul trouble for UConn.

That's going to be difficult for Arkansas considering Johnson nearly got his head removed from his body, yet got called for the foul. The Razorbacks also are throwing the ball away out of fear of the UConn big men instead of attacking them.

Against Creighton earlier this year, which finished ahead of UConn in the Big East, Black had a huge game that put him on the national map. He has been one of the few Razorbacks to prove effective going to the basket in this game.

At some point, all the energy UConn has been using to stay a step ahead of Arkansas will lower. That will allow the Razorbacks to make a mini-run, but it will need to be more than mini to make this close late.

First Half Stats