NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Arkansas Basketball is deep into SEC play, and in its first three games, it is 2-1. They did have a hiccup in their last game, playing at Neville Arena against Auburn, but bounced back with a big win on Wednesday against South Carolina. Arkansas has two tough SEC opponents this week, and it begins with Georgia. Let’s take a look at this matchup and how Arkansas Basketball can notch another top 25 win:
Tale of the Tape
Arkansas basketball laid an egg against Auburn last week, where they got bullied in the paint by Auburn’s bigs, and the game was closed out five minutes into the second half. John Calipari built this team for depth at the big forward position and length at the guard position. Georgia can play 8 guys with meaningful minutes rotating throughout the game to wear teams down. They are statistically on the smaller side, so let’s take a look at the difference in size:
Georgia Arkansas
G Jeremiah Wilkinson 6’1 185lb G Darius Acuff Jr 6’3 190lb
G Blue Cain 6’5 195lb G Maleek Thomas 6’5 185lb
G Jordan Ross 6’3 195lb G Karter Knox 6’6 220lb
G Marcus Millender 5’11 175lb G DJ Wagner 6’4 190lb
F Dylan James 6’9 215lb G Billy Richmond 6’6 205lb
F Kannon Catchings 6’9 220lb F Trevon Brazile 6’10 230lb
F Somto Cyril 6’11 260lb F Nick Pringle 6’10 230lb
F Jake Wilkins 6’9 185lb F Malique Ewin 6’10 240lb
As you can see, each team has a deep roster that contributes on a game-to-game basis. The size is an interesting one in general. Arkansas’ guards play really solid defense, and they will need to defend the perimeter well with their length. Maleek Thomas is an incredible defender and leads Arkansas Basketball in steals. Georgia Basketball only shoots 32% from the three, and Arkansas can get that number lower with their length and athleticism on the perimeter.
Arkansas will need to defend the paint as a team. Somto Cyril is a massive center who stands tall and has a 32.5” vertical from a standing position. Over the last 7 games, Somto is averaging 12 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 3 Blocks (!!), and shooting 90% from the field. Georgia will look to isolate Somto 1-on-1 against one of Arkansas’s forwards, and someone will need to help double-team him.
The other Georgia forwards are easy to manage, with Kanon Catchings as the other primary forward. Kanon Catchings and Dylan James combine for 15.1 PPG and 10 RPG. Malique Ewin and Nick Pringle match that, while Trevon Brazile averages 13.4 PPG and 7 RPG.
Will one team slow down the other team?
Georgia Basketball plays a very fast, uptempo game that relies on aggressive defense to create points off turnovers. Georgia is averaging 96.4 points per game! That is pretty wild for a collegiate team halfway through the year. They often play a full-court press and look for quick turnovers, which they average 20 points off. They rely on steals and blocks, averaging 9 steals and 7 blocks per game.
Arkansas Basketball’s best when they are moving quickly in transition to gain numbers and score quickly. The athleticism of their guards, and Trevon Brazile in particular, can run the floor soon and create mismatches in numbers to create an open three, or send it into the paint with Brazile or Pringle. They have similar stats while playing uptempo ball, averaging 8 steals and 5 blocks per game.
Now, Arkansas Basketball’s guards can slow down the game well and have the confidence to sit at the perimeter and waste time, only to create a shot with minimal time left on the clock. Darius Acuff Jr. can be the barrier that slows this game down and allows Arkansas to play the style they want, instead of Georgia dictating the game.
Darius Acuff Jr has 107 assists on the season. The closest Bulldog to Acuff in assists is Marcus Millender with 65 coming off the bench. Darius Acuff Jr.’s ability to play the Point Guard position so well as a two-way player that he can dictate half the offense and slow it down, only to play a full-court press after they slow it down. The goal on offense and defense should be to disrupt Georgia’s rhythm and force it into mistakes.
Does Georgia perform well in the 21st rank?
Georgia is an electric team, and there is no doubt about that. They may ranked 21st, but their schedule metrics can say otherwise. In the NET rankings, Arkansas ranks 23rd, while Georgia ranks 33rd. Here is each record broken down by Quads:
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Arkansas 3-4 1-0 3-0 6-0
Georgia 0-2 4-0 1-1 9-0
*Quads determined by wins & losses by opponent strength and game location
Georgia has yet to notch a Quad 1 win, and it has played NINE Quad 4 opponents in the first half of the season. While we look at Georgia scoring 96 points per game, that can be skewed by how their schedule went the first half of the year. Here is a list of teams they scored 90+ points on:
Bellarmine, MD Eastern, Morehead St, Tennessee Tech, Florida State, WCU, West Georgia, Auburn (OT), Clemson, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech
A lot of those teams are the Quad 4 games that turned into blowouts, yet their defense still allowed 76 points per game. Arkansas’ seasoned offense can score 90+ against this team while keeping Georgia under 90.
Arkansas takes on Georgia Saturday at 4:00 EST/3:00 CST at Stegeman Coliseum in Georgia. This should be a high-scoring game. Georgia, being at home, will have the spread closer than I believe it should be. If Arkansas wants to show they are bound for the Final Four, these are the teams they do not need to trip over. As always, Go Razorbacks.
