Pretty Simple Solution to Razorbacks Stopping Aggies
In a rush created by a late start getting out of Dallas to get up to Bentonville, a certain reporter may or may not have left behind a rugged old backpack disguising the two Mac laptops hidden within.
Now the backpacks are in the best of care and will be back in my possession on Sunday, but in the meantime, I am left to break down Saturday's second round NCAA tournament match-up on the free-est phone Metro PCS has to offer.
That's fine, though, because the breakdown of how Arkansas can survive another Cinderella favorite in the New Mexico State Aggies comes down to a single, very short sentence.
Mark Konezny / USA TODAY Sports
Hold Teddy Allen to 20 points or less.
That's it.
Allen got stupid hot last game, scoring 37 points to the entire rest of his team's 33 in a 70-63 upset of UConn.
The sharpshooter will present serious match-up problems for Arkansas.
He is highly gifted in terms of ball handling skills and creating space, so an intense, frenetic defender similar to Davonte Davis' style will be needed to keep him in check.
Gregory Fisher / USA TODAY Sports
However, Allen's size and ability to shoot the ball from a high launch point with absurd arc mans Davis is too small for the job. This might have to be a team effort by Au'Diese Toney and Stanley Umude.
However, Allen doesn't play alone.
While the rest of team doesn't explode off the screen on offense, they are a collective potential nightmare for the Hogs on defense.
The Aggies, a mascot Arkansas has certainly had trouble with this year, do a good job of keeping tight spacing around the lane, effectively closing off all access to the paint.
They force teams to beat them with hot outside shooting, which is not only a weakness, it's a full-on disease for the Razorbacks.
No team can shoot itself out of a game from beyond the arc like Arkansas.
Gregory Fisher / USA TODAY Sports
Mark Konezy / USA TODAY Sports
The Hogs will need a lot of motion, creating moments where players get lost and sneak on from behind through a crease unseen.
Otherwise, New Mexico State will smother anyone who attacks the paint, daring Arkansas to kick it out and jack up a long three.
Unless Arkansas can turn this into a track meet with lots of transition baskets, this is probably going to be an ugly slugfest.This could very well be a repeat of last year's Oral Roberts game.
Try not to think back on that game too hard because your nails will chew themselves down to the quick, and you are going to need every bit of nail you have left.
Take your heart medicine because this one is going to be stressful.
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