Call It What You Want, But Hogs Got Whipped at Tennessee

Coaches' term is "out-physicaled" which simply means Razorbacks got beat up by Vols

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Mar 1, 2023 1:52 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas was just beat up and whipped Tuesday night.

No. 12 Tennessee did that and the Razorbacks might have lost worse except that probably wasn't the best game the Volunteers have played this year, either.

"They completely out-physicaled us, there’s no doubt about it," Hogs coach Eric Musselman said later.

The inside game almost completely disappeared. The Mitchell brothers, Makhi and Makhel, probably should have bought a ticket.

Makhi pulled down just three rebounds and blocked a shot. Makhel managed to do less. He didn't get a rebound in 11 minutes of action (you would think one would have come his way by accident because the Vols weren't particularly shooting lights-out) and had a couple of blocked shots.

If the Hogs are going to win, that simply can't happen.

"We didn't go in there, and when we did, we didn't finish," Musselman said. "You need to go and attack the rim against a physical team. You need to get in the body, and we did not do that from a physical standpoint."

At this point of the season, how much of that can be fixed with coaching is above my head. At some point, you are what you are.

"We didn’t finish at the rim. We didn’t attack the rim," Musselman said. "It’s not just against us. (The Vols) are one of the best if not the best defensive team in the country. Their physicality certainly hurt us. Then they played much bigger with the injury to Zeigler. That made them taller, longer and it bothered us.

"Just not enough guys played the way we need them to play in either half to make this a game."

Somehow in that NET ranking stuff, the Hogs didn't fall today after that wretched loss. I don't understand all that stuff and have yet to have it explained in a way that makes any sense at all in judging how good a team actually is.

All of this sets up Saturday that suddenly has some implications. When the schedule came out we speculated it might be for the regular season SEC title but now it's for the Hogs to stay alive.

A game back of .500 in the league (8-9), they have to figure out a way to beat the Wildcats, who are probably looking to avenge the 88-73 beating the Hogs gave them at Rupp Arena on Feb. 7.

"It only gets more physical," Musselman said. "It’s going to be physical on Saturday. It’s going to be physical in the SEC Tournament."

And the Hogs are down to one game to get that way against the reigning best player in the country down low in Oscar Tshiebwe at Bud Walton on Saturday.

For now, though, that trip to Knoxville is nagging.

"A very disappointing loss in many different ways for us tonight," Musselman said.