Tensions Boil Over in Poor Offensive Showing for Arkansas

Eric Musselman ejected early in the second half as Razorbacks struggle to find shot

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Dec 9, 2023 7:12 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Eric Musselman went after the refs, insisting that his team had been wronged by the officiating. By the time he had tallied his third ejection at Arkansas (second time against Oklahoma in Tulsa) with 15:50 remaining, there were plenty of other things to be upset about. The Hogs were already down 48-33 and the team shot a paltry 40% from the floor. Offensively, the Razorbacks struggled to get any consistent rhythm in a 79-70 loss to No. 19 Oklahoma.

"I have no comments about the refs at all," Musselman said.

Arkansas received some good news before the game. After Eric Musselman characterized Trevon Brazile's ankle sprain as severe, he was available and in the starting lineup. He wasn't himself, though, not registering a point and only attempting two field goals. The teams exchanged early 7-0 runs during the opening exchanges, ultimately knotting the score at 13 with 11:39 left to go, thanks to three early triples from the Hogs.

Despite hanging with the Sooners early, Arkansas still felt the wrath of Oklahoma's defense. Coming into the game, the Sooners allowed just 62 points per game, fourth best in the Big 12. The Razorbacks routinely found themselves deep in the shot clock, including two shot clock violations.

Arkansas finally started to show some defensive prowess of their own. Musselman expressed frustration at the team's 5.7 steals per game (12th in the SEC) and last in scoring defense at 76.1. The Hogs came up with five steals in the first half and forced seven turnovers.

Despite Oklahoma being the more efficient team offensively shooting 56% compared to Arkansas' 30% in the first half. the Hogs hung in the game at the charity stripe going a perfect 6-for-6. Khalif Battle led the team in scoring with 7 points in the first half, going 1-for-6 from the floor. The game was tied at 23. However, lady luck ran dry in the final 4:11. Oklahoma closed the half on a 14-2 run, helped out by some poor fouls by Arkansas to take a 37-25 lead into the break. Neither team had a player in double figures after 20 minutes in a defensive-minded opening stanza.

The Hogs started the second half on a 6-0 run that cut the lead to just six. Back-to-back baskets from Tramon Mark, who had been held to just two points and two field goal attempts in the first half, provided the Razorbacks with the perfect little jolt.

Oklahoma punched back twice as hard after their leading scorer on the night Javian McCollum scored six of his 20 points in a poor sequence for the Razorbacks. He nailed a triple, then Layden Blocker fouled McCollum on another triple attempt to blunt all the momentum the Hogs had gained.

"They’re (OU) really well coached," Musselman said. "They play really hard. They understand their roles. I’m not in their locker room [but] it looks like they accept their roles. They looked connected. They play really good defense."

Battle and the rest of the team never found their footing. Although the Temple transfer led the team in scoring for the third game in a row with 13 points, he finished the game just 2-for-10. The five starters shot a combined 6-for-20.

"Games are coming," guard Jeremiah Davenport said. "We're just going to keep fighting, keep pushing, keep getting better and keep preparing better."

The technical foul fiasco further stretched the lead out to 17. The Hogs were kept at bay, never getting back within single digits until the final minute as the Sooner contingent in Tulsa continued to grow in volume. The Razorbacks got a steal with just under three minutes left and pushed the ball in transition hoping for a last-gasp effort, but fittingly Blocker turned the ball right back over to the Sooners.

"We’re not going to prepare for an opponent for a while," Musselman said. "We’re going to try to get better as a team. We don’t need to talk about Lipscomb. We need to talk about how we can get better."

Arkansas looks to get back on track in the second of two neutral site games against Lipscomb 5 p.m. Dec. 16. from Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock Ark. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.