Arkansas basketball didn’t need a close score to make a statement on its first night in Nassau.
You kinda got the feeling it was going to be like when John Calipari wasn’t on the bench. He was watching from across the court on the front row of the stands.
The Razorbacks used a swarming defense to bury the Bahamas national team 106-59 on Friday in the opening game of the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, and the final score barely tells the story.
Arkansas led by as many as 51 points and the outcome felt settled well before halftime.
Freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. paced the Hogs with 22 points and four other players joined him in double figures.
Arkansas shot 49.4% from the field for the night, but it was the other end of the floor that had everyone talking once the final buzzer sounded.
The size and athleticism of this young Arkansas roster gave the Bahamas fits from the opening tip.
The Razorbacks forced 26 turnovers, which turned into 37 points, and they held their opponent to just 36.4% shooting for the game.
Arkansas also piled up 19 steals and 13 blocks, numbers that don’t always show up when you just glance at a box score.
A defensive identity takes shape
Associate head coach Kenny Payne wasn’t shy about what he saw from his group.
“You can, right off the bat, tell we have a bunch of athletes,” Payne said after the game. “We should be a great defensive team.
“We have great-character kids that are going to buy into that, and we got time to continue to grow as a team. We got a lot of talent.”
Forward Abdou Toure backed that up with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, including five offensive boards, four blocks and two steals.
Payne singled him out for bringing energy that hasn’t always shown up in practice.
“There are times in practice where he’s coasting,” Payne said. “For whatever reason, body hurting, mentally tired, whatever. But to see the lights on and him excited to play with energy, it was good to see.
“He stopped me in the hall and talked to me about his rebounding and said, ‘I’m a dawg.’ So I’m happy about that. He’s a very good player with a bright future.”
Toure said the intensity on display in Nassau isn’t new. It’s just how Arkansas practices back in Fayetteville.
“In practice, we go at it,” Toure said. “In practice, I’ve got Jordan Smith Jr. guarding me, Billy guarding me, so with these guys guarding me it’s like I’m used to it. This intensity.”
A breakout stat line off the bench
One player who didn’t score much still made his mark in a big way.
Freshman big man Maper Maker finished with just four points but grabbed six rebounds, blocked five shots and stole five passes.
Payne said Maker has surprised the staff with a part of his game not everyone expected.
“Typically, he’s been a stretch four or stretch five that pops and shoots, but he showed that he can rebound the ball against bigger, stronger guys,” Payne said. “He can play great post defense, set good screens, and he doesn’t even worry about the jump shots.”
According to the game-by-game breakdown, Arkansas built its lead in waves, jumping ahead 12-1 early, pushing it to 50-19 by halftime and eventually doubling up the Bahamas at 90-44 in the second half before closing out the 106-59 win.
Five Hogs reached double-figure scoring in the win, including Toure, Billy Richmond and JJ Andrews, each with 16 points.
Arkansas isn’t done in the islands.
The Razorbacks will face Carleton University next in the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, with tipoff set for 5 p.m. and the game streaming on FloSports.
Key takeaways
- Arkansas’s defense forced 26 turnovers and held the Bahamas national team to 36.4% shooting in a 106-59 win.
- Five Razorbacks scored in double figures, led by Jordan Smith Jr.’s 22 points.
- Freshman Maper Maker showed unexpected rebounding and rim-protection ability off the bench with six rebounds and five blocks.
