Razorbacks Defense Will Get Tested Again on Road in Starkville

In the SEC, you don’t get time to tinker. You either guard people or explain losses.

Arkansas enters Saturday’s early trip to Starkville understanding that difference.

The Razorbacks have heard the talk. They’ve seen the numbers. And they’ve already heard their coach say the quiet part out loud.

“We’ve got to get better defensively,” John Calipari said after last weekend’s loss to Kentucky.

That wasn’t frustration. That was a diagnosis.

The Hogs sit at 16–6 overall and 6–3 in SEC play, which sounds solid until the defensive numbers show up and people start asking uncomfortable questions.

According to KenPom, Arkansas is outside the Top 60 nationally on defense and just 10th among SEC teams in conference games.

That’s not where teams with NCAA Tournament ambitions settle.

The warning signs aren’t subtle. In league play, Arkansas owns the second-worst defense when it comes to field goal percentage and the third-worst SEC defense when it comes to two-point shot percentage.

Opponents have been making shots inside against the Hogs about as automatic as possible as of late. Regardless of line-up combination, teams are putting up points at will, which is causing Arkansas all kinds of trouble.

Saturday presents both relief and risk.

Mississippi State brings the SEC’s weakest offense in conference games and the Bulldogs sit near the bottom nationally.

That sounds like a chance to for John Calipari and his Hogs to breathe until they remember the Bulldogs also have one of the league’s best scoring guards.

Mississippi State veteran Josh Hubbard doesn’t need the Arkansas defense stepping aside to help him get shots. He averages 20.8 points per game and takes 32.8 percent of Mississippi State’s attempts when he’s on the floor.

Last season, he put up 17 points on an efficient 16 shots in an overtime loss to Arkansas at Bud Walton.

When it came to the Razorbacks' evaluation of how dangerous Hubbard can be, Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin didn’t mince words.

“He’s a good player, man,” Martin said Thursday. “He is an elite, elite scorer.”

The scouting report on Hubbard doesn't end there. He's put up 30+ on quality SEC opponents three times, but he's also been picking opponents' pockets at a high rate and is swallowing up rebounds rather highly for a guard. He has had three steals in each game against Missouri, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt in recent weeks.

Starkville Brings Familiar Problems in New Order

Hubbard isn’t the only concern. Jayden Epps and Shawn Jones add scoring options, and Mississippi State’s physical style under fourth-year coach Chris Jans hasn’t changed just because the Bulldogs have struggled to a tie for the No. 12 ranking in the SEC standings.

“They got a heck of a coach, a really good staff,” Martin said. “Their record does not reflect how good they are.”

Mississippi State enters having lost six of its last seven games, which makes Saturday either a reset or another reminder. History says it's likely the former considering Arkansas hasn't won even once in Starkville this decade.

Jans used the open week for something closer to a preseason tune-up than tactical panic.

“We just worked on ourselves,” Jans said. “I think it’s a nice reset for everybody.”

Both teams had the week off. No midweek games. No excuses about tired legs. The early tip adds another layer, especially for a road team still searching for defensive consistency.

Arkansas is well aware by now how games like this can flip quickly when players struggle to focus early in games. Martin said last season’s film on Hubbard helps, but only so much.

“It’s a different team with different personalities,” Martin said. “So we’re trying to prepare for that here in the next two days.”

Preparation, for Arkansas, starts with details it hasn’t always nailed.

After a demoralizing loss to Kentucky last week, Calipari said there were things defensively that still needed fixing. Martin spelled them out.

“Closing out hot hands on shooters,” Martin said. “Being more focused on personnel. Knowing who are drivers, who are shooters.”

That kind of discipline hasn’t been automatic. It has to be chosen.

Why This Stretch Matters More Than Records Say

Saturday begins a two-game window where Arkansas faces teams with losing SEC records. Mississippi State comes first. LSU is on Tuesday, another location where the Hogs have struggled this decade.

These aren’t games that raise eyebrows in February. They’re games that quietly shape what a team becomes as the roller coaster picks up steam at the turn of March.

Arkansas remembers last season. The Razorbacks improved down the stretch, tightening their defense as the year went on. The staff believes the same progression is coming.

One area Martin highlighted was ball screen defense, which tends to decide close games once possessions slow down.

“At the end of the shot clock, around the country, it’s going to probably come down to ball screen offense versus ball screen defense,” Martin said.

Arkansas improved there last season. The expectation is that improvement happens again, starting now, but the downward turn of late doesn't offer definitive hope it's for sure going to happen again.

The opportunity to take advantage of a struggling team is present. However, the way Arkansas has played in Baton Rouge of late suggests the Tigers might resemble something closer to a landmine.

The Razorbacks can use Mississippi State’s offensive struggles as a chance to clean up habits. Or they can let Hubbard catch his rhythm and destroy them with body blow after body blow down low.

“In this league, every single night, anyone can beat anyone,” Martin said. “There’s a reason why they’re in the SEC.”

Arkansas doesn’t need style points in Starkville. The Hogs just need a win.

Until defensive stops become routine, the message won’t change — no matter how many wins the Razorbacks currently have on the board

Starkville Brings Familiar Problems in New Order

Why This Stretch Matters More Than Records Say

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