NFL
By: Randall Slifer
We are three games into Arkansas Basketball, and there are some growing pains while Arkansas watches these dynamic kids play. The season is long, and the mistakes are easily fixable. John Calipari has expressed his concerns in this post-game press conference after the win against Central Arkansas.
Arkansas Basketball has three games coming up against easier opponents, where they can work on getting better as a team. Let’s take a look at what improvements Calipari should want to see before their big matchup versus Duke on Thanksgiving:
Arkansas guards need to play more in the paint
You cannot be a complete college basketball team if you play from the perimeter. Making your team one-dimensional at the perimeter eliminates easy points in many ways. Getting to the paint rewards closer shots, and the chance of getting to the foul line is high.
Arkansas has shot 90 three-point attempts in the first three games. They have shot 33% from three, which has not been awful, but Calipari does not want his team attempting 30 threes per game.
Maleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr have led the team in combining for 53 three-point attempts. In third, his DJ Wagner with 15 total three attempts. Between all three guards, they have attempted 26 free throw attempts. Arkansas’ guards need to be confident and fearless going into the paint. More often than not, a foul will be called, and these guards are talented enough to get the bucket plus the free throw.
Distributing the ball needs layers of help.
Arkansas Basketball’s passing has been average at best, and they need to congeal more as a team. Arkansas is averaging 10 turnovers per game and had a whopping 14 in its loss to 22nd-ranked Michigan State.
As stated above, Arkansas guards are not driving to the hoop hard enough, which has led to strips out of their hands or poor preparation, resulting in errant throws. Arkansas only led Central Arkansas by 9 points at halftime, due to sloppy turnovers that cost the Razorbacks 9 points. Michigan State scored 17 points off Arkansas’ brutal 14 turnovers.
Darius Acuff Jr is still getting his feet under him as a freshman at Arkansas, and his ceiling is through the roof. John Calipari has stated that he wants Acuff to get at least 10 assists per game. Right now, Acuff is averaging only four assists per game. This would allow him to be a true point guard rather than just a shooting guard. Acuff has a complete game, and his ability to drive and dish it out has been missing in these first three games. Once he is more comfortable on the college floor, we should see a more fluid game played for Arkansas.
Rebounding needs to be better.
Arkansas’ rebounding has been slightly better than last year, but the issue resurfaced during the Michigan State game. Arkansas was out-rebounded 45 to 33 against Michigan State, where they only lost by three points. Arkansas dominated on both sides of the glass as well. Michigan State out-rebounded on the offensive glass by six and the defensive glass by six as well.
John Calipari stated that rebounding needs to be strong across all positions, not just forwards and centers. He mentioned that when playing Central Arkansas, long rebounds were an issue because they play teams that shoot a lot of three-pointers. All players need to be engaged and ready for the ball to prevent any second-chance points.
Nick Pringle has been a good pickup from the transfer portal, helping the big guys in the paint. He is averaging 8 points and seven rebounds per game. He leads the team with eight offensive rebounds and 15 defensive rebounds.
The trio of Trevon Brazile, Nick Pringle, and Malique Ewin will be lethal in March Madness with a good rotation as long as everyone stays out of foul trouble. Trevon Brazile is notorious for getting in foul trouble, and he did just that against Michigan State. He did not play enough 2nd-half minutes due to foul trouble, which affected the outcome of that important game.
The team needs to start understanding their roles in closing out games.
Arkansas Basketball is as talented as any team in the country. The only issue is that our top guards are freshmen. Calipari’s biggest concern about the team’s growth is that he sees them playing pickup basketball rather than a structured game.
Calipari believes some players’ mentality is focused on scoring individual points rather than team points. Each player is searching for their opportunity with the ball, and they should understand that their shots will eventually come.
The ending of the Michigan State game showed that Calipari is really focusing on fundamentals and playing as a team, rather than setting up situational plays late in the game. This is very fair, as this team has a lot to work on, and Calipari can attempt these things on the fly early in the season. It is all about getting everyone ready for the tournament.
Arkansas took some bad shots in the final three minutes of the Michigan State game and turned the ball over with 90 seconds left, which made the lead too big to overcome. Arkansas pulled it back to three points, but in truth, the game was really a Michigan State six-point win.
Maleek Thomas is a lethal shooter, but he is shooting too much. He is leading the team in field goal attempts and three-point attempts. As stated above, Darius Acuff needs to increase his assists to 10 per game. When Calipari leads Acuff and Thomas into a more structured environment on the court, then this team can score efficiently from start to finish.
The Arkansas Basketball schedule for the next three games is against Samford, Winthrop, and Jackson State. The betting line against Samford favors Arkansas by over 20 points, and that should hold against Winthrop and Jackson State as well. These are perfect opportunities to prepare for the big matchup against 4th 4th-ranked Duke. Arkansas headlines the Thanksgiving Classic in Chicago against Duke. After the loss to Michigan State, this would be an incredible bounce-back game against a top-5 team. As always, Go Razorbacks.
