Scouting Report Shows Arkansas Has Grown, But Will LSU Game?

Tigers will meet up with much different team of Razorbacks than before in Baton Rouge

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 23, 2023 2:50 AM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas game against LSU feels like a lifetime ago, but it really wasn't.

Most of the state missed the beginning of that game because the Razorback football team had blown a big lead in the Liberty Bowl and was clinging to a 38-38 tie when the basketball game started.

By the time the football team took down Kansas, 55-53 in double overtime after giving up 32 straight points, Musselman's crew was on the cusp of halftime down in Baton Rouge.

Looking back on that lightly watched first half through the lens of an opposing coach explains a lot about how things went the next several games.

Here are the notes from that perspective:

• Make Arkansas shoot jumpers outside the paint. They fall in love with them and can't hit them even if you leave them open. Shot themselves out of the half by missing every long jumper.

• Bang the freshmen around. Block a shot, put them on their backside, beat on your chest, scream at them and they will get intimidated. Do what is needed to make this a man's game. Make it scary. Get in their heads. They can be rattled.

• Jordan Walsh is a defensive pain in the neck. Go at him early and try to draw two fouls. As far as Musselman is concerned, they are fouled out for the rest of the half and no one can pick up his defensive slack off the bench.

• Kamani Johnson is an aggressive player who can cause problems. However, he gets really frustrated when he fouls, which can be often considering his playing style.

• Davonte Davis is their best weapon. However, if you limit his options by clearing everyone else out of the lane, he is less effective on drives. He's thinking pass when he drives, so if no one is there, it short circuits his mind. Do this and shut down his mid-range jumper and you will be fine.

• Makhi Mitchell is better than he knows. Soft touch, good feet. Doesn't leverage his size properly so there are advantages to be gained on him.

That type of evaluation is why Missouri came out in a zone, why Auburn played in it even though they had never done it, and why every team since has tried to use it on Arkansas.

The book is to force them into jump shots by closing the lane. The book is to play a physical game that causes intimidation.

Doing those two things sent Arkansas into a funk that it didn't look like the Razorbacks were capable of escaping.

However, doing those two things may have also molded Arkansas into an NCAA Tournament team that other schools want to avoid.

Look at the notes from the Ole Miss game from the same perspective.

• Arkansas relentlessly attacks the glass and no longer begins the game slow with long stretches of missed jump shots.

• Davis doesn't need others inside to bail him out. He's locked in as a scorer. Put your best guard on him because he both brings and kills momentum.

• Mitchell not only has elite feet inside, he has learned how to move people around.

• Jordan Walsh is the biggest mismatch on the floor. He is a physical player who can bull his way to the rack if you put a smaller player on him and can blow by any larger players you try to use.

• These freshmen don't get intimidated anymore. No matter how much screaming and chest banging you do, these guys are pretty stoic. Even Black can't be baited into a potential technical foul out of frustration. He even helps guys off the floor after scoring on them. That's going to drive our guys nuts so tell them to not do anything stupid.

• Big runs used to get into their heads and cause them to take bad shots and make mistakes. Don't count on that now. Tape shows a general calmness if they get behind. Expect a counter run.

• Johnson gets frustrated when he fouls. Talks to the refs a lot. Find a way to use that.

As you can see, this is a much different team. It was a painful process, but in the darkness, these young men found themselves.

Going into the first LSU game, this was an 11-1 team that was as soft as they come. They could be manipulated in every way possible on the court, making them an easy target.

The current 13-6 team would beat that 11-1 team by 15. The Razorbacks went 2-5 and came out better on the other side.

As LSU barked, pounded and elbowed their way to victory in the second half, the Arkansas team that began this journey looked lost and scared.

The team LSU faces on Wednesday has been through some stuff. They're starting to resemble their mascot a bit more and definitely no longer get intimidated.

This will be the first chance this team has to show how much it has grown somewhere other than a scouting report. This will be an apples to apples accounting of how much value this team got from going through the tough times.

It would be truly stunning if these Razorbacks tip-toed their way to 19 points in the first half like they did down in Baton Rouge.

The Hogs missed 10 long jumpers by roughly the halfway point of the first half. They weren't an aggressive team then.

If LSU can get Arkansas to miss 10 jumpers the entire first half, Tigers coach Matt McMahon will consider it a win.

Wednesday will say a lot about this team, and it's highly likely that what it's going to say is this isn't December's Razorbacks.

All indications are that everyone is about to find out that this team finally has what it needs to compete in the SEC.

And that will say a lot, because the team that walked into Baton Rouge didn't.