NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Arkansas Basketball heads to Dallas to take on 16th-ranked Texas Tech this Saturday. Arkansas Basketball got its first big top 25 win against Louisville and is looking to build off that win against Texas Tech.
Texas Tech is seeking its first big win against a top-25 opponent. Texas Tech fell to Illinois by only 5 points, but was beaten by Purdue recently by 30 points. Arkansas matches up well against Texas Tech, and they will need to bring their top game, given the away matchup. Let’s take a look at how Arkansas can take down Texas Tech this weekend:
A complete team makes Arkansas difficult to play against.
Arkansas has come into its own playing at the perimeter and inside the paint. John Calipari has stressed all season that Arkansas can play big and powerful in the paint to open up efficient three-point shooting.
DJ Wagner, Karter Knox, and Malique Ewin are players who make Arkansas’s depth one of the best in the country. DJ Wagner and Karter Knox can score at any spot on the court, and it helps open up the court and create space on offense.
Against Duke, Karter Knox and DJ Wagner only scored 5 points and couldn’t get going in that game. Against Louisville, they doubled that and contributed 10 points, and it came with a win. Their ability to drive to the rim and dish it to a forward or back out for a perimeter shot turns Arkansas’s offense into a 3-level facet game. I expect John Calipari to get Knox and Wagner going early to give different looks and combinations throughout the game.
Malique Ewin has been a great addition to the big men on this Arkansas roster. Averaging only 15 minutes per game, he is averaging 8 points and has accounted for 6 blocks and 6 steals. He is also averaging almost 4 rebounds per game, with 2 being on the offensive glass. Ewin’s ability to create second-chance points swings these pivotal games and is a force coming off the bench.
Play big and win in the paint.
Similar to Louisville, Texas Tech plays small and focuses on perimeter shooting. Texas Tech consistently plays star JT Toppin as one of its forwards and rotates the other spot between LeJuan Watts and Luke Bamgboye. LeJuan Watts is a 6’6 forward who averages about 10 more minutes per game than Bamgboye. Luke Bamgboye is a 6’11 forward who may be used more versus Arkansas.
The trio of Nick Pringle, Trevon Brazile, and Malique Ewin is no shorter than 6’10, and Brazile is great at defending the perimeter. This size and length can be used heavily against Texas Tech to dominate the paint and open up perimeter shots. If Texas Tech needs to combat Arkansas’ height advantage by using Bamgboye over Watts, that could shift their offensive scheme and affect their total points. Watts averages 6 more points per game than Bamgboye, and Watts is a forward who can shoot threes, while Bamgboye is not.
Contain JT Toppin
JT Toppin, brother of Obi Toppin, is a top forward in the country, averaging a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. He contributes in blocks, steals, and assists as a forward and can disrupt a play on both sides of the court.
This is not the first time Arkansas and Coach Cal have played JT Toppin, as they faced off against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16 last year. JT Toppin had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
When Arkansas played Duke, Coach Calipari often left one-on-ones with Cameron Boozer, and it did not go well for Arkansas in the end. Trevon Brazile ended up with a couple of fouls resulting in and-1’s (with a couple of hooks by Boozer), and it distanced the lead too far for Arkansas to catch up.
I would expect Coach Cal to come out early, keeping JT Toppin on 1-on-1s in the first half to see how his bigs match up with Toppin. If they are successful, I would expect Coach Cal still to sprinkle in double teams in the second half to get Toppin to reconsider his drive and dish it out, or get caught in a trap with nowhere to go. The combination of three 6’10 defenders for Arkansas can help shut down JT Toppin, get him under his average, and force Texas Tech to take more threes.
Limit three pointers made.
Arkansas’ length can hinder Texas Tech’s three-point shooting, and they will need to keep them below 30% from beyond the arc. Texas Tech averages almost 30 three-point shots per game and makes 10 of those threes. Texas Tech, against the tough opponents they faced (Illinois and Purdue), only shot 25% from three.
Arkansas’ opponents shoot an average of 27% from three, and that is including a heavy onslaught of three’s made against Winthrop. If Arkansas Basketball plays big in the paint and successfully defends the three, they can come out of Texas with another big-time victory.
Arkansas Basketball faces Texas Tech this Saturday at Noon EST/ 11:00 CST. Arkansas averages 87.6 points per game, and Texas Tech averages 81 points per game. On defense, they are similar, allowing around 70 points per game. Arkansas has played tougher opponents in closer matchups, and I think that is telling coming into this game. Arkansas has evolved into the team Coach Cal has been looking for, but there is plenty more work to be done. It all can continue this Saturday against Texas Tech. As always, Go Razorbacks.
