Time for Musselman to Exercise Tough Love Toward Razorbacks

After embarrassing Arkansas Saturday, it's time to leave a few Hogs in the pen

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 8, 2024 2:53 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The general conception is the Georgia Bulldogs are somewhere around the middle of the pack when it comes to the SEC this season. Unfortunately for Arkansas, the wins that actually count and stats suggests they are as good or better than the Razorbacks.

Wednesday night's game will give fans a good feel for which team Eric Musselman is currently coaching. Perhaps it's the Top 3 team that took down No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 Duke. Then again, a loss will lean things more heavily toward a Razorbacks team that lost to UNC-Greensboro and got knocked unconscious by Auburn in a building that is supposed to be the ultimate home court advantage.

If the answer is the latter, it's going to be difficult to even land a spot in the NIT, much less the NCAA Tournament. A big step in that direction requires someone who is willing to hold his ground down low on defense and a number of players who will do all the hustle work needed to nab rebounds on both ends.

That's a tall task considering for most of the game, that's going to mean keeping 7-foot veteran center Russell Tchewa in check. He's not going to blow the doors off offensively. Tchewa only puts up about seven points per game. However, he's going to mirror that with seven rebounds and mix in a key block while the rest of his team chips in another 31 rebounds.

That pretty much reflects the Razorbacks statistically. Forward Trevon Brazile is the Razorbacks' leading rebounder at 6.9 per game and averages a couple of more points per game than Tchewa while the rest of the Arkansas roster cobbles together an additional 31 rebounds.

There's not even a difference between the teams on either offensive or defensive rebounds. Both are going to manage an uninspiring 9-10 offensive rebounds per game. It's not the worst in the country, but it also doesn't suggest either team puts a lot of hustle into trying to come away with second chance points.

The difference is this game is going to be heart. Based on calls coming into the various radio shows across the state throughout the morning and part of the afternoon, not only are Hogs fans truly embarrassed by how they were represented Saturday, but they don't seem to think there are five to six players on the team who want to put in the work needed to even be out on the floor.

Things seemed to be evenly divided between whether the Razorbacks have actual talent or whether it's an issue of multiple players getting fat and happy off NIL money and losing the fire needed to go out and actually deserve it. As one caller put it, there's an "I" in NIL and it's at the center of everything.

The first argument can be shot down pretty easily. A team doesn't take down the No. 1 and No. 11 teams in the country without talent, even in exhibition games. However, talent doesn't mean a whole lot in a team sport if it's selfish and refuses to listen.

It's better to sit those players down or not have them in the building at all because a group with less talent pulling together can outperform a single super talent pulling against it. Razorback fans don't have to look far back in history at all to see this in action.

There have to be six guys on this team somewhere who are willing to listen and put in the hard work needed to win games. Send the other guys to go play video games with the boys or get caught up in spending all their NIL money on a girl and leave everyone else to do what's needed without them.

If that happens, a lot of young men are going to be sitting at home in Arkansas hoodies instead of having the privilege to wear a Razorback jersey on the court. Almost all of these players at some point talked about how they wanted to play under Musselman because he can show them how to get to the NBA.

However, that coin has two sides. When players aren't mature enough to be about the business of basketball rather than just the money, it reveals they don't belong and NBA executives get to see that clearly.

Musselman can be a pretty stubborn guy, and sometimes that's to his detriment. However, in this case, if he chooses to leave multiple players in the hotel to send a message, then so be it. It would be a move that would have the support of most Arkansas fans.

If Georgia is truly the measuring stick for the middle of the pack in the SEC, then he can get this team above that line by leaving some of these players behind either proverbial or literally, or this can continue to be tolerated and drag the whole program down.

Lesser talent with heart and determination all going one way make progress. Extreme talent all pulling in separate directions that refusing to listen or work together goes nowhere.

Wednesday night in Athens, Arkansas fans will know which side of that struggle this team is on.