Everybody Knows Hogs Will be Playing for Real Monday Night

After forgettable loss to Texas in last exhibition, North Dakota State game counts

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Nov 4, 2022 7:02 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas opens the regular season Monday night and the players are well aware.

"These games count, Davonte Davis said before Friday's practice ahead of facing North Dakota State. "We don’t want to come our first game in and not play as hard as we can and fall short, knowing that we’re playing a good team.

"It’s most definitely more turned up in practice. We’re screwing everything together to make sure the bolts are tight and we’re ready to play."

Davonte Davis-Rogers State — Arkansas Razorbacks' Davonte Davis against Rogers State in the exhibition opener against Rogers State on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

Losing by 30 points to Texas last Saturday got fans' attention. It probably got the players, too.

You can bet Eric Musselman knows.

"There was no reasoning, it was needed," he said about the deep-dive into the film of that big loss. "We needed to see all the possessions. We needed to see cut ups. We needed to see when they made their run. All those things became extremely important for the guys to get a live kind of feel."

The vibe has been a little different this week.

But it's following along in the usual way the Hogs go under Musselman. Finishing hot is much more than starting that way.

"We knew this was going to be a learning experience and we were not going to be a finished product a week before our first regular season game," Musselman said about that game with the Longhorns. "In the long run it will benefit our program in a big way."

All that game was down in Austin on Saturday was a practice. One against people they don't see every day in practice and gives the staff what they need most for teaching — game film.

"We have a lot of uncertainty on the floor, schematically," Musselman said. "We are still trying to work out and understand who our team is."

It's that much-coveted film.

"It was the longest film session I’ve had since I’ve been here," Kamani Johnson said. "By far. Probably doubled it, tripled it. It was a day for sure."

From the sound of things, it was handled in some similar respects to a regular-season game.

"The guys' mental makeup and physically we've practiced with the energy that we kind of want to have culturally, chemistry-wise and making sure everybody understands in our entire program the mission and the vision," Musselman said. "All those things."

He's even broke out the weighted vests he's used in the past.

Kamani Johnson-Rogers State — Arkansas Razorbacks' Kamani Johnson against Rogers State in the exhibition opener on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)

"I kind of had flashbacks," Johnson said. "Muss don’t like losing like that and we don’t like losing like that. He’s going to get us right for sure. If you remember from that year, it worked."

Too early to know if it works again.

"We’re screwing everything together to make sure the bolts are tight and we’re ready to play," Davis said.

Monday night's game will tipoff at 7 p.m. and you can watch online or listen to the game at HitThatLine.com or on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.