Signs of life for Arkansas Basketball
But still no signs of victory for Eric Musselman and the Razorbacks
Depending on your perspective, Arkansas Basketball showed signs of life last night that we haven’t seen since the game against Duke. Eric Musselman finally coaxed tournament-level effort out of the Razorbacks in conference play.
In my day job, I have to teach kids about perspective. A lot. And often, the same kids over and over again. Plus, one more time for good measure.
It’s a hard concept for kids to start to understand. How is it possible that what is happening through my eyes isn’t the absolute truth?
Humans learn perspective as they age. Hell, you could argue that’s all maturity really is—being able to internalize a perspective that isn’t your own. What is so fascinating about fandom (i.e., fanaticism) is that we revert back to this childlike state. What I see is what is absolute truth, and my eyes are infallible. If you don’t see it, then you’re an evil idiot who wants to destroy what I love.
To borrow a phrase I’ve grown to love, the enemy is orthodoxy.
We saw a different Arkansas Razorbacks squad last night
Whether it be from the literal absence of some key figures (if you watched the broadcast, you heard that Devo Davis has left the team and Trevon Brazile was injured) or just the style of play, we saw a different Arkansas Razorbacks squad yesterday.
Eric Musselman tinkered with lineups. We saw lots of different combinations of guys out there. He put Chandler Lawson and Makhi Mitchell on the floor together for multiple game stretches. He also leaned into age and experience. Everyone who played double-digit minutes yesterday is at least a junior.
It absolutely paid off on the defensive end. Kentucky came into the game scoring almost 90 points a night. Behind their nine blocks, the Razorbacks held the Wildcats to just 28 points in the paint yesterday and 63 points overall. If Kentucky had not gotten hot from three in the second half, they likely wouldn’t have broken 60.
We’ve come to expect that defensive intensity and tinkering from Musselman’s team. Maybe it was the crowd. Or maybe it was Nolan Richardson being in the building, but Musselman seemed more engaged than he had been in weeks.
These are all signs that the January famine might be clearing for Arkansas to make way for February fortune; if that’s your perspective, you’re right!
We saw the same result for the Razorbacks, though
When the final horn sounded on Nolan Richardson Court yesterday, the result was the same one we’ve grown accustomed to since the calendar turned to 2024. The Hogs lost.
Across his entire tenure with the Razorbacks, Musselman is 19-22 in January. That’s a 46 percent winning for five straight Januarys. Dating back to last season, Arkansas is 9-16 in their last 25 conference games. That’s a 36 percent winning percentage for the last season and a half of conference play. Those figures are lower than Stan Heath and John Pelphrey numbers. (Heath-53.6 percent overall and 38.8 percent in conference; Pelphrey-53.9 percent overall and 39.1 percent in conference.)
Musselman and the Razorbacks clearly have an issue starting conference play. It’s a well-established pattern. They are hurting for wins to start the year. A January Jones, if you will.
And while the Hogs put together a solid defensive effort yesterday, the offense was still a struggle. Arkansas shot 33 percent for the game and 21 percent from three. They had a 9:13 assist-to-turnover ratio.
So, if you think this is a bad basketball team, you’re also right! There’s data to back up your perspective for this Arkansas.
Consider this the next time you take to social media: That dude you call a “sunshine pumper” who still believes in Musselman’s ability to turn this thing around this year has evidence to back that up. Likewise, that dude you say will run Muss off with his constant negativity also has a point.
Let’s just call everyone the most fitting name: fan!