Don't Just Dismiss Hogs' Chance Against No. 1 Auburn
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A matchup with top-ranked Auburn is the kind Arkansas coach Eric Musselman probably loves.
The Tigers will come into Bud Walton Arena with what Musselman on Monday said will be the first player taken in the NBA Draft and a top ranking.
But the Razorbacks are riding the crest of an eight-game winning streak where victories have come hard and easy. They've experienced just about everything and keep figuring out ways to win.
Auburn has one of the best defenses in the country down low, led by Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith. They are averaging 8.2 blocked shots per game.
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The first thought is the Hogs might look to get the outside shooting like it was against Georgia last week when they hit 53.6% behind the arc.
"We just don’t want to uncharacteristically jack up three's," Musselman said Monday. "We want to take three's when our feet are set and the defense is scrambling which is what we did against Georgia."
Arkansas will probably have to adjust offensively because of the Tigers' strength down low.
John Reed / USA Today Sports
John Reed / USA TODAY Sports
"They’re going to do a great job against us blocking shots and rim protection because that’s who they are," Musselman said. "Usually when a team is really good at something that doesn’t just leave."
This Razorback coaching staff has seen some pretty good shot-blockers before and they are hoping that pays off against Auburn.
"There are some things we have to work on leading up to the game in how our approach is against shot blockers, little nuances that our staff having coached against NBA players that are shot blockers," Musselman said "Hopefully we’re able to give our guys some techniques against some players that maybe we’ve faced in the past who are some of the world’s greatest shot blockers."
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Smith is one of the biggest challenges the Hogs will be facing.
The 6-10 Smith leads the team in points per game (15.3), minutes per game (27.6), three-point shooting percentage (40.4%) and is widely considered a top-3 prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft class.
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"You don't play against that type of player every night," Musselman said. "You have a freshman who is a potential No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, is 6-10 and can shoot, defend, rebound and block shots, it’s not a surprise what they’ve done. That matchup is a hard matchup for Arkansas and for everybody else."
The guess, though, is Musselman and his staff like those kinds of challenges.
They usually do pretty well against it.
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