NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Louisville heads to Fayetteville as Arkansas Basketball has its first top ten matchup at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas fell to Michigan State on its court, and Duke was held in Chicago for the Thanksgiving Classic.
Arkansas Basketball played its best game against Duke last week. Darius Acuff had his coming-out party against tough competition. Acuff finished with 21 points and 5 assists while shooting 47%. He was efficient when shooting and had a pivotal three-pointer in the second half. Trevon Brazile and Billy Richmond were playing great defense while Nick Pringle was showing his presence on the court.
The team played sound overall, but the most important issue still reared its head—Arkansas’s ability to close out games. Turnovers and fouls were what caused Duke to pull away at the end of the game. Coach Cal has said this has been a concern since Day 1, and now we are at the point where it needs to be figured out for this Louisville matchup. Let’s take a look at how Arkansas can take down its first top 10 opponent:
Stunt Louisville’s guards
Louisville is averaging a whopping 96 points per game, shooting 48% from the field and 37% from three. Ryan Conwell (6’4 215lb) leads scoring in 20 points per game, while freshman Mikel Brown Jr (6’5 190lb) is the primary distributor, averaging 6 assists per game.
In Louisville’s biggest matchup against Kentucky, both players shone in that game. Ryan Conwell had 24 points while Mikel Brown Jr had 29 points. Louisville started strong, scoring 53 points in the first half and leading by 15+ at one point. Louisville shot 40 three-pointers, accounting for 40% of their points.
Arkansas had a close matchup vs Winthrop, where three-pointers dictated the game. Winthrop shot 31 three’s at 48% and accounts for over half their points. Trevon Brazile, Billy Richmond, and the guards will need to keep it tight on the perimeter and make them work for their three-pointers.
Arkansas needs to play in the paint.
Sananda Fru (6’11 250lb) and Khani Rooths (6’10 215lb) are the top forwards, but Louisville tends to play smaller with J’Vonne Hadley (6’7 210lb) in as a strong forward. Arkansas can bully Louisville in the paint with Pringle, Ewin, and especially Brazile’s athleticism.
Guards can attack the paint easily and score quick buckets, and Hadley and Fru only average six defensive rebounds a game combined. This can open the door to a lot of second-chance points and easier buckets, all that Calipari has been seeking from this team. Expect Arkansas to play big and rely on Louisville to take out Hadley and replace him with Rooths. This can force Louisville to play Arkansas’ style of ball and give them the advantage in the second half.
Create turnovers and win the transition game.
Arkansas’ best quality is transition points. The athleticism Arkansas Basketball has is top-tier, and they show it on quick transition buckets. Louisville is also a good transition team, with its guards, and scores 21 points per game off turnovers. Louisville causes a lot of turnovers, averaging 10 per game, and the length of Arkansas’s defense can make that closer to 20 in Fayetteville.
Arkansas averages 5 blocks and 9 steals per game. If Arkansas and close in on three-point shots and win on the offensive glass, they can turn this game on its head early in the second half. The combination of speed and size is something Louisville may have difficulty responding to away from its stadium.
Don’t give in to three pointers, but make yours efficiently
As stated above, Louisville will shoot a lot of threes in this game. A young Arkansas team cannot give in to the allure of the three-pointer, but needs to let it go at an efficient level. Against Duke, Arkansas shot 10-30 from the three-point line at 30%.
Maleek Thomas took the most shots at 15 attempts, shooting 33%. Darius Acuff shot an impressive 50% from three, scoring 12 points from three, and the rest of the team shot 25%. Maleek Thomas can keep his attempts high, but keep them under 12-13, allowing some of those three-point looks to reach into the paint for a couple of easy buckets. Karter Knox and DJ Wagner did not make a single three on 5 attempts, and I expect them to be more efficient at home. A little more efficiency from the perimeter can quiet Louisville’s three points and neutralize the team as a whole.
Arkansas Basketball faces Louisville on Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena at 7:15 EST/6:15 CST. Arkansas has faced a tougher schedule and can come in better prepared than Louisville, as its one big win was Kentucky at home. Kentucky looks rocky this year, so that win may not be as big a claim to fame as it was when it happened. Arkansas truly needs a big-time win to jump-start its resume, and I think it gets done this week. As always, Go Razorbacks!
