NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Arkansas Basketball and John Calipari are working out the kinks on this star-powered team. There was a small scare when Arkansas beat Winthrop on a layup with eight seconds left after a defensive stop.
John Calipari has expressed his concerns about the team, but still acknowledges how special this team actually is this year. Right now, the team is still playing a variation of pick-up basketball and is looking to score 1-on-1 rather than play as a complete team. John Calipari had expressed his interest in returning to the elementary rule that requires a player to pass the ball four times before shooting.
The team still pulled out the three wins they needed to get before the big matchup on Thanksgiving, Duke. Arkansas and Duke basketball headline the Thanksgiving Classic in a pivotal matchup that Arkansas could really use a win in. The Michigan State loss isn’t a defining moment for the team, but the young talent could use a top-10 win to build confidence. Let’s take a look at the marquee matchups on Turkey Day:
Freshman Attack
This game features top-talent freshmen on both sides. Here are some quick Stats (per game) for the big-time freshman over at Duke:
Cameron Boozer – 21 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, shooting 54% from the field and 37% from three
Dame Sarr – 8 points, 4.4 rebounds
Cayden Boozer – 7.4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists
Cameron Boozer came in strong as a top freshman at Duke. He is a two-way player who can dominate at the glass and still be efficient from three. Trevon Brazile will have his biggest test of the year in his defensive ability to hold Boozer to minimum production.
Brazile had three blocks from the three-point line against Winthrop, and the threat of his blocking ability on all aspects of the court should affect Boozer’s shot decision-making. The one most important aspect of this game may be ensuring Trevon Brazile does not get into foul trouble, which would leave him on the bench.
The freshman duo of Maleek Thomas and Dairus Acuff has had a rocky start. Still, the talent is blatantly obvious that John Calipari and Arkansas are just waiting for everything to click.
Maleek Thomas is in the top 5 in shots taken, and when he gets hot, he is lethal. Maleek is shooting 43% from the field and 35% from three, averaging 16 shots per game (excluding Jackson State).
Darius Acuff is still working on getting his feet under him as a two-way guard, but there is plenty of season remaining. John Calipari stated that for Darius Acuff to be a successful two-way guard, he needs to average close to ten rebounds per game. Acuff has not reached 10 assists in a game yet, but you can tell he is working on dishing the ball out evenly to run plays within a system. Samford was a great example, recording five assists while scoring 20 points on 53% shooting. If he can build off a game like Samford against a team like Duke, the confidence will come along with his play.
The Winner will be the one who wins on the glass.
Arkansas and Duke Basketball are big teams with bigger guards and forwards. Let’s take a look at some of the size matchups:
Nick Pringle (6’10 230lb) vs Patrick Ngongba Li (6’11 250lb)
Trevon Brazile (6’10 230lb) vs Cameron Boozer (6’9 250lb)
Karter Knox (6’6 250lb) vs Dame Sarr (6’8 190lb)
Maleek Thomas (6’5 185lb) vs Isaiah Evans (6’6 180lb)
Darius Acuff (6’3 190lb) vs Caleb Foster (6’5 205lb)
The height is similar, but the Duke side has an advantage in weight. The rebounding woes showed themselves in the close win against Winthrop. Winthrop shot a lot of threes that Arkansas was not prepared for, and Winthrop was getting long rebounds after missed three-pointers.
Duke Basketball averages four more rebounds per game, and most notably has 26 more offensive rebounds than Arkansas does on the season. Second-chance points will swing this game in the second half, and if Arkansas can not soundly rebound on the defensive side, Duke could stretch out a lead in the second half.
The key to victory in this Thanksgiving classic is playing selfless basketball and shooting efficiently. Maleek Thomas needs to come in hot and not have a slow start in the first half, trying to get his shot in line. Darius Acuff needs to distribute the ball in the first half and let the team score, then start shooting often with 10:00 left to play. If Arkansas’ big men get into foul trouble early, it may be too difficult to overcome. Brazile and Pringle need to be available and play the most minutes so Duke does not bully Arkansas till the very end.
Arkansas Basketball faces off against Duke on Thanksgiving in Chicago at 8:00 EST/ 7:00 CST. Vegas has Duke favored by seven points with an over/under of 146.5. This game being at a neutral site favors Arkansas, as they do not have to travel to Cameron. This is a tough matchup, and Calipari wants it, and he gets it done. As always, go Razorbacks.
