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Hogs' Mentality Trumps Individual Effort by Horns' Freshman

Razorbacks continue February march toward NCAA Tournament despite Herculean effort from Texas' Tre Johnson
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jonas Aidoo against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jonas Aidoo against the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas needed a total team effort in a game with major NCAA Tournament implications against Texas. Coach John Calipari could not have asked for a better executed game plan from a fully engaged team like Wednesday night's 86-81 victory over its longtime rival.

Texas superstar guard Tre Johnson might be the story on ESPN Wednesday night as his individual 39-point scoring effort singlehandedly kept his team in the game. While praise for Johnson is much deserved, basketball remains a team sport and the one with the most heart won.

Texas Longhorns star guard Tre Johnson drives to baske
Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jonas Aidoo (9) during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

It all started with the surprising emergence of Trevon Brazile who made his first pair of three-point attempts and a monstrous putback dunk during the first half. Brazile could have shut it down last week after a performance against Auburn that saw him unintenionally deflect a rebound into the Tigers' basket and knock a crucial rebound out of his teammate's hand.

Instead, he kept his head down and worked despite negativity whirling over his head. Calipari never mentioned anyone by name when expressing how fragile some on his team are, but what he did to keep Brazile holding onto the rope shows why young men love play for him.

Brazile finished the night making 5-of-6 shot attempts from the field along with a team high eight rebounds, two assists and one steal. If Arkansas does go an extended period without Adou Thiero in the line-up, the Hogs will desperately need this type of effort from him once again.

"I thought Brazile did an unbelievable job of bringing us energy," Payne said. "Rebounding, made a couple of threes. His defense was pretty good. To get 12 points and eight rebounds from him was special."

Senior forward Jonas Aidoo finally had a complete performance with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field including two major free throws off a technical foul in overtime. While he's endured a forgettable season, he, like Brazile, came up big when his team needed him most and scored his most points in a game since going for 12 against LSU Jan. 14.

"I thought Jonas, to make those last two free throws, sort of shocked me," Payne said. "He stepped up and he made them, and we needed that from him, and that was great to have."

His length paid dividends in the paint as he pulled down four rebounds and one block along with several altered shots near the basket. It was a total team effort by the Razorbacks as each player contributed with all five starters scored at least 12 points

"We talked about success is when opportunity meets preparation, so somebody else had to step up," assistant coach Kenny Payne said postgame. "We really thought it’d be a multitude of guys, and it was."

The Razorbacks started SEC play in brutal fashion as they backed themselves into an 0-5 hole. Just like individuals can give up, teams can do the same, which never happened in a direct reflection of team leadership.

"We're one of the youngest teams in this conference, there's something to say about that," Payne said. "The way we started this season to where we are now, these young men are not the same. They've learned a lot, they've overcame a lot and we need all of them to contribute in a way that helps us win."

Arkansas Razorbacks' teammates celebrate after defeating Texa
Arkansas Razorbacks guard Johnell Davis (1) celebrates with forwards Zvonimir Ivisic (44) and Trevon Brazile (4) after an overtime win over the Texas Longhorns at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Adversity can sometimes push teams apart, which hasn't been the case at Arkansas as Calipari's best coaching job could arguably be the one he's working through now. This group of Razorbacks are tight knit, battle tested and playing their best basketball when it matters most.

"It helps us be the type of team that we brought them here to be," Payne said. "And you learn that through adversity, and we've been through some of that."

HOGS FEED:

• Where Hogs rank in ESPN's latest bracketology

• Calipari puts Texas' Rodney Terry through coaching clinic

• Razorbacks wake up to startling reality after dramatic win over Texas

• Hogs team no one in NCAA Tournament wants to face right now

• Arkansas avoids late collapse, makes free throws to sink Texas

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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