Game Preview: UC Takes on Arkansas in Hall of Fame Classic Final

CINCINNATI — UC faces the fastest turnaround they'll see all regular season on Tuesday night against No. 13 Arkansas. Monday brought a blowout win out of the Bearcats, and they are back at the T-Mobile Center for the Hall of Fame Classic final in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Razorbacks are 4-0 on the season and haven't slowed down the pace in Eric Musselman's up-tempo system.

Here are a few quick nuggets to watch for when the Championship action tips off.

Containing JD Notae

The redshirt senior guard is stepping up big time for Arkansas in his final season. Notae leads the teams in scoring (19 PPG, 4 APG, 3.5 SPG) and can punish sloppy ball handlers on the other end.

The sneaky guard is second in the country in steals per game and uses that skill to cause chaos and find mismatches in transition. Overall, Arkansas ranks 93rd in steal rate (10.8%) in large part because of Notae.

Forcing Notae to pound the ball and jack up triples is the formula. The senior is hitting a career-low 31.6% of his three-point attempts this season.

Passing Lane Disruption

When the Arkansas' offense gets cooking, they can be a joy to watch. Musselman's crew averages 81.3 PPG (40th nationally) and ranks 36th in assists (16.5 APG). The Razorbacks ping the ball well in the half court and play unselfishly.

Unlike the Kofi-Cockburn-focused attack UC faced against Illinois, Arkansas will ride any hot hand they can find. This game will be the biggest test yet for Cincinnati's defensive wave. Notae is the main weapon to stop, but any of these players can get rolling.

Four Arkansas gunners are averaging at least 11 PPG, and five rotation players are averaging at least one assist. The Razorbacks look for cutters and execute offensive fundamentals better than any team Cincinnati's faced thus far.

Size on Size

Musselman has a deep roster just like Miller does, and size is a factor for both.

Cincinnati is playing ten players over 14 MPG, and three of them are at least 6-foot-11. Their average roster size is 6-foot-6, while Arkansas checks in at 6-foot-4, but the Razorbacks regularly play two key big-man talents.

Sophomore 6-foot-10 forward Jaylin Williams is no pushover. He is averaging six PPG, 4.5 APG, and 7.5 RPG. The Swiss Army Knife can operate the offense on the block at times. He helps to take some of the load off of Notae. Ball pressure on the forward's possessions could prove crucial.

Outside of Williams, the tallest rotation player on the roster is 7-foot-3 center Connor Vanover. The Razorbacks shot-blocker averages a team-leading 1.7 BPG and paces the roster in free throw percentage (92.3%) and two-point shot percentage (62.5%).

If Hayden Koval, Abdul Ado, and Viktor Lahkin keep containing opposing big men as they have so far, that should give the backcourt enough leeway to handle Notae. The Bearcats battle for their first title of the season Tuesday on ESPN2 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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