No Respect Won't Mean a Thing if Razorbacks Can't Score
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's one thing for Arkansas to play maniacal defense.
That requires effort, focus and a lot of want-to, but against No. 1 Gonzaga tonight about 6:09 p.m. they are going to need points.
"You have to have shot-making ability in order to advance when you are down to 16 teams," Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said Wednesday.
This is nothing new. Most of the time the Hogs have found ways to make enough shots to win games over a 17-3 run that included wins over Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee.
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The defense came around after the first three games of the SEC schedule. The offense has been hit-and-miss all year.
"We've talked all year to our team about how do you win the race from November to March, meaning how do you win the race of being an improved basketball team?" Musselman said "We've improved and won that race as much as anybody based on who we've played down the stretch of the season.
"Now it's a 40-minute game, and certainly making shots becomes extremely important."
JD Notae leads the Hogs in scoring with 18.3 points per game, but needs to hit big shots against Gonzaga if they expect to win.
That means he's also got to avoid early foul trouble and becoming a spectator for most of the first half, which seems to set him back every time and sorta throw off the entire offensive rhythm.
That's been the case all year, though. The defense and toughness has kept them in the games.
"It's been a really unique team in that aspect that when we need to go on a 6-0 scoring spurt and make two deep threes, we kind of found a way to do that," Musselman said.
The Bulldogs know all of this, too.
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"They pose a huge challenge," Drew Timme said, who is the heart of the 'Zags. "They're a really good defensive team in the gaps. They're good offensively as well and have a nice combination of athleticism, length, and then they have a stretch five who is good as well."
With 16 teams left in the tournament, nobody is giving the Hogs any respect. Timme knows they better.
"I don't think they're being disrespected," he said. "They're a really good team ... at least in our eyes."
Musselman has fed off the disrespect factor all year and certainly is doing that in San Francisco getting ready for this game.
But he'll need points tonight, too.
Hog Feed
• Jaylin Williams has heard all about what challenge he faces tonight.
• Is Snoop Dog ready to join the Razorback bandwagon in San Francisco?
• Has Jimmy Dykes, SEC office writing off Hogs' chances a little early?
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