Arkansas basketball invites the SEC to a block party

A ten-clip Razorback Reels from Missouri explores if that's a good thing

You may or may not realize this amidst the five-game losing streak to start SEC play, but the Arkansas Razorbacks are fifth in the country in blocked shots per game. Hell, you may not even care because right now, that fact doesn’t positively impact the bottom line.

What if I told you that I thought it was quite the opposite? What if I told you that Arkansas’s six blocks per game might indicate a deeper issue on the defensive side of the ball?

Let’s roll the tape!

The blocks that happened

We’ll start today by showing you every single block from the Missouri game. Then, we’ll examine a few possessions without blocks. Finally, we’ll close with a possession that highlights what this team needs to do to sustain a good defense.

Here’s the first block against the Tigers courtesy of Zvonimir Ivisic:

What Ivisic lacks in footspeed to keep up with smaller, faster players on the perimeter, he makes up for in length. He switches onto a ballhandler off the screen and gives him space as a head start if he attempts to drive. The Missouri ballhandler pulls up and Ivisic uses his length to close out.

Second verse, same as the first:

Again, we see the Hogs switch on a screen and use their length to erase any shooting space the Missouri player may have created. This time it was Adou Thiero instead of Ivisic getting a fingertip on the three-ball. You’ll notice I cut this clip off though as the basketball bounced around the paint like a ping pong ball in a lotto case. You can guess who came up with it.

Here’s Ivisic doing it again for good measure:

Using length to block perimeter shots is a legitimate weapon the Hogs have, assuming those smaller guards don’t just blow by Arkansas’s bigs and wings. If that was one type of blocked shot from the Missouri game, what other patterns emerged?

Let’s look at another Thiero block:

We will spend a bit of time on this one because there’s a lot going on here. The first time, watch it just to see when Arkansas switches and when it doesn’t. DJ Wagner gets caught on a screen, so Ivisic switches onto the guard handling the ball. He stays there long enough for Wagner to recover and then switches back. We see similar show coverage on the other side of the court when Boogie Fland is being screened.

Here’s where things get interesting. After Fland recovers, the Missouri ballhandler dribble penetrates while the Missouri big sets a little hip check screen to clear Fland. Ivisic switches, and the ballhandler throws a little bounce pass to the Tiger big man. Billy Richmond is the low man weakside, so he slides over to help. Instead of just coming in and playing straight-up defense, though, he attempts to poke the ball away. The Missouri big goes right around him. Theiro also collapses to help and swats the shot away.

Yes, Theiro got the block, but pause the clip at the 15-second mark. Because of the amount of help required on this possession, Missouri has two dudes wide open—one at the top of the key and one in the strongside corner. Those are both dangerous spots to leave open shooters.

Speaking of dangerous, let’s watch another Thiero block with a lot going on in the clip.

Wagner and Ivisic made a few aggressive defensive moves, but neither of them created the live ball turnover they were after. As a result, Ivisic is defending way out past halfcourt, which is no man’s land for him. Again, his footspeed is not enough to stay with a hard-driving ballhandler. Thiero is the low man weakside, and he gets the block. Richmond is in a nice position to grab the rebound.

Which brings us to the final recorded block of the game:

Missouri tracks down the loose ball after the Razorbacks missed a free throw. One Tiger leaked out and got hit with a full-court pass. Richmond used his athleticism to chase him down, block the shot, and grab the loose ball.

The last several of the clips are somewhat related. In all of them, the Razorbacks use their intangibles to get a blocked shot after an earlier defensive breakdown. But what happens when that athleticism fails them?

The blocks that didn’t happen

I want you to watch these three clips where Arkansas attempts a block but doesn’t get it. What do you notice they all have in common?

There are two things I see. First, Missouri players with a clear driving lane to the hoop, whether off of poor perimeter defense or on a fast break opportunity. The help wouldn’t even be needed around the rim if the perimeter defense was a little tighter. Second, when the low man goes up to get the block and misses it, they are now out of position for grabbing the defensive rebound. In fact, Missouri would have come up with an offensive rebound on each of these possessions were it not for the one clip where Richmond comes flying in and knocks the ball loose.

Key Takeaways

A backline that can clean up mistakes is a valuable asset when building a defense. This Arkansas team has the length and athleticism to protect the rim when perimeter breakdowns lead to guards putting pressure on it.

However, each time within a single trip that the defense is tilted, it becomes harder and harder to get back into position and close out defensive possessions. While this Razorbacks team is not short on highlight reel swats, they severely lack good, old-fashioned, solid team defense. Here’s an example of what I'm talking about from late in the ballgame on Saturday:

This one won’t make anyone’s highlight reel, but it should. There are no swats to the stands. There are no jumped passing lanes for thunderous dunks on the other end. (And, look, I get it. The Razorbacks have been anemic in the halfcourt and need those live ball turnovers to get themselves some easy buckets.) But what we do have is a well-defended play. Kartner Knox fights through a screen and keeps his man from dribble penetrating. Fland stays in front of his man and contests enough to force a difficult shot. Thiero puts on a textbook box out, and Ivisic is able to fly in and secure the defensive board.

That is sustainable. That is winning defense.

The block party has been fun, but the sun is setting on this season, and it’s time for the neighborhood to retreat to their respective domiciles for some sleepy, old-school defense.