NFL
By: Randall Slifer
Arkansas Basketball started 1-0 after dominating Arkansas Pine Bluff 106-61 on Tuesday. The team looked good to start, but it still has plenty of room to grow. Coach Calipari did a good job with their schedule, sprinkling in tough games early so the young team can see their flaws.
Coach Calipari scheduled an exhibition against Gonzaga, and their second game is against a top-10 team in Virginia. Only 2 ½ weeks after Virginia, they face another top-10 matchup against Michigan State during Thanksgiving weekend. This young Arkansas Basketball team will get punched in the mouth during the regular season to be ready for March Madness. Resilience is always Coach Calipari’s plan. Let’s take a look at how this Arkansas Basketball team can take down Virginia in their first tough matchup of the season:
Can the frontcourt get more physical?
The major issue Coach Calipari saw last Tuesday against Arkansas Pine Bluff was their toughness in the paint. The Arkansas Basketball team has four guys over 6’11 ” who will play meaningful minutes against Virginia, but they need to be not just tall, but tough. Offensive and defensive rebounding will be crucial, and getting fouled could get Virginia’s frontcourt in trouble.
Virginia Basketball center Johann Grunloh is a 7’0, 250 lb powerhouse who controls the paint with strength and size. Last year, he averaged 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. The best way to eliminate Johann Grunloh is to get him in foul trouble.
On Virginia’s roster, Grunloh’s backup is freshman Favour Ibe. A lot is unknown about Ibe, and the difference between Grunloh and Ibe is significant. If Ibe doesn’t do well in this matchup, Virginia may opt for a smaller lineup. If they choose to play small ball, Arkansas has the size to overpower Virginia in the paint.
John Calipari praised freshman Maper Maker against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Efficiently shooting 4-for-4 and scoring only 6 points, he left the court with a whopping +51, something Calipari had never seen before. His length covers the whole court, and he positions himself well to suffocate guys in the paint where they cannot move.
Miikka Muurinen will have a tough task going up against Thijs De Ridder. At 6’9 “, 246 lb, Ridder is also a stretch forward who went 50% from the three-point line and scored 24 points in their first game. Ridder has roughly 30 pounds on Muurinen, but Muurinen plays with fire that can counter the weight difference. Shutting down Ridder and Grunloh can put Arkansas in a position to play their style of ball.
Can the guards continue to shine?
The guards looked great against Arkansas Pine Bluff, with Jordan Smith Jr. and Jeremiah Wilkinson leading the stat sheet. Jordan Smith Jr. looked like everything Arkansans have hoped for, especially on defense. As a prospect, his defense already seems NBA-ready, given how fundamentally sound he was last Tuesday. He limited their star guard to 4-for-11 shooting and forced 6 turnovers! Offensively, he is still growing on the college court, but Arkansas Pine Bluff was his best offensive game this year.
I had talked about how important Jeremiah Wilkinson is to this group of guards. Wilkinson and Richmond are the only veteran guards, and Richmond is more of a do-it-all player than a guard. He will need to be the “ice in his veins” shooting guard that Arkansas relies on in matchups like Virginia.
Jeremiah Wilkinson shot 4-for-15 and 1-for-9 from three versus Memphis in the final exhibition matchup. He then shot 7-for-11 and 4-for-7 from three in the first game versus Arkansas Pine Bluff. This is the Wilkinson Arkansas and Coach Calipari should expect all season. Not to mention, his defense is underrated! He finished with 5 steals on Tuesday and was everywhere.
This matchup versus Virginia will be interesting to watch for Coach Calipari’s strategy. He typically likes to play 8 players per game, but this team is 9 or 10 guys deep. The guard depth is impressive, with JJ Andrews, Abdou Toure, and Davion Thompson coming off the bench. The rotation of Richmond, Miikka, Bowser, and Maker will be critical to dictating the game in what can be called a Virginia home game (Played in DC). Coach Calipari will take riskier moves if they improve development over winning this game. Except Coach Calipari will want this win to prove that college basketball doesn’t need to be played by a team full of 25-year-old professionals.
The Arkansas Razorbacks travel to take on the Virginia Cavaliers this Sunday at 1:00 EST/12:00 CST. The game is at a “neutral” site at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Virginia scored 89 in their first matchup, and Arkansas scored 106. I don’t expect either team to reach 90 points this weekend, as they will have their first big matchup in a while, and it may be low-scoring in the first half.
Can an Arkansas Basketball team this young pull off a big-time win this early? Miikka Muurinen and Jordan Smith Jr. can play like veterans. Billy Richmond is the college basketball team’s version of Gorilla Glue, and Wilkinson can close it out if he needs to this weekend. Final Prediction? Arkansas gets the win, 85-79. As always, Go Razorbacks.
