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Musselman’s coaching was at win over Wildcats even though he was at home
Eric Musselman was watching Arkansas’ 85-72 win over Abilene Christian on Tuesday afternoon from his house, but his coaching was on full display.
Associate coach David Patrick was running things on the sideline, but he made it pretty clear later he wasn’t changing much about the Razorbacks.
When the Wildcats cut the Hogs’ lead to 77-68 with 3:27 left there were probably some wondering if Musselman’s unexpected absence was going to be the difference.
“Offensively we made a couple of boo-boo’s there at the end that got them some quick shots,” Patrick said later. “Those things are tough. When you’re up 10 with two minutes to go, the other team has nothing to lose, you’ve really got to control the game.”
Until early Tuesday morning Musselman figured he would be on the sidelines. Then he got the call that someone had been in contact with a person who tested positive for covid-19. It’s why he talked Patrick into leaving a head coaching position at California-Riverside for Fayetteville.
“I’m blessed to have been a head coach before so I wasn’t a rookie, so to speak,” Patrick said. “I didn’t try to do my thing. I tried to do what he stressed to the team.”
Musselman will probably give the credit to the ones who were at the game, but it was his tone set in practices leading up to it and his talking to the team earlier today that showed up in the game.
Abilene Christian was touted as being the toughest non-conference opponent for the Hogs before conference play starts Dec. 30 against Auburn.
The Wildcats got down early and the only time they had hope was really too late.
Sure, there’s credit that goes to Patrick and the other coaches. A lot goes to players, who have completely bought in to Musselman’s coaching, absorbed what they have been teaching and Tuesday evening took it to the court.
It showed from the start they listened to what Musselman had been jumping up and down about since the Central Arkansas game when the Hogs started the game by sleepwalking.
“The lesson after the last game, that coach Muss talked to them about, is you can’t underestimate anybody, and you’ve got to come out swinging,” Patrick said. “The guys took the message from our last game and came out focused.”
That was Musselman’s coaching during the week.
Plus defense, which is what Patrick coaches.
“Our defense in the first half was good,” he said. “It wasn’t as good in the second half.”
Until it had to be.
After Abilene Christian got a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 9 with 3:27 left, the Hogs’ defense went to work.
Over the final stretch, Arkansas gave up just a couple of layups while J.D. Notae hit a big 3-pointer and Moses Moody nailed some clutch free throws.
The Hogs didn’t allow a single point for the final 1:02 of the game.
Going into conference play, the Hogs are undefeated. That’s better than any alternative you can name. I don’t care who the opponent is.
Now the challenge is everybody avoiding the coronavirus (or anybody infected) over the holiday break before they come back for practices immediately after Christmas.
Musselman will have the players ready for what he can control.
It’s the things he can’t that drive everybody crazy.
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The effects of covid-19 hit the Hogs as Eric Musselman was forced into quarantine on contact tracing and David Patrick had to take over Tuesday.
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Hogs’ Moses Moody (21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks) on assistant coach David Patrick having to coach game, getting to go home over break.
Hogs get early lead, hold on to down Abilene Christian headed to SEC play
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Arkansas raced to a 22-point lead in the first half and held on in the second to defeat Abilene Christian, 85-72, Tuesday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks improve to 8-0 while the Wildcats drop to 7-2.
Arkansas played without coach Eric Musselman, who was absent due to covid-19 close contact tracing protocols. Associate coach David Patrick served as head coach in the win.
Desi Sills scored 16 of his 18 points in the first half to lead the Razorbacks’ hot start. JD Notae scored 17 of his 19 in the second half to help fend off a feisty Wildcat squad.
Moses Moody led all scorers with 21 points while Justin Smith pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Razorbacks expanded their 16-point, halftime lead to 22 with 14:35 left after a pair of Notae free throws.
With nine minutes to play, Abilene Christian slowly chipped away and worked its deficit to nine (77-68) with 3:27 remaining. However, Notae answered with 3-pointer at the 3:06 mark and the Hogs maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game.
Arkansas dominated on the boards. 39-28, and was 24-of-30 (80%) from the free throw line while ACU was just 9-of-15 at the charity stripe.
While Arkansas committed 13 turnovers, it was 10 below the season average for an ACU opponent as the Wildcats entered the game with a +8.6 turnover margin. ACU also entered the game averaging 11 steals per game but only had three versus the Razorbacks.
Clay Gayman led ACU with 18 points off the bench, including a pair of 3-pointers to help the Wildcats get to within nine.
Up next, Arkansas opens SEC play on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at Auburn. The game will be telecast on ESPN2 and tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
FIRST HALF: Arkansas 47, Abilene Christian 31
• ACU scored first on a free throw but Arkansas scored the next seven to force an ACU timeout. The Razorbacks would push its lead to 11-1 before Mahki Morris hit two free throws at 15:36. ACU did not make a field goal until hitting a 3-pointer at 15:03.
• The Razorbacks ultimately raced out to a 21-9 lead with 11:43 left before the break.
• Arkansas built a 21-point lead with a 14-6 run over 4:48 to lead 40-19 with 4:14 left.
• Arkansas’ largest first-half lead of 22 points (43-21) came at the 3:33 mark.
• Arkansas shot 54% from the field and forced ACU into seven first-half turnovers.
• Desi Sills led the Hogs with 16 points, making 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
• Arkansas was 15-of-20 at the free throw line while ACU was just 4-of-7.
SECOND HALF: Arkansas 36, Abilene Christian 41
• This was the first time Arkansas was out-scored in the second half this season.
• While Arkansas shot 53.8% from the field in the first half, it shot just 34.6% in the second half. ACU only shot 39.4% from the field in the first half but shot 57.1% in the second.
• Despite the lead going from 22 points to nine in the second half, ACU’s largest scoring run was just six points.
Game notes
• Arkansas has won all games this season by at least 11 points.
• This was the first meeting between Arkansas and Abilene Christian. However, acting head coach David Patrick faced the Wildcats as head coach of UC Riverside on Nov. 24, 2018. Patrick lost that game 60-48 in Pacific’s Thanksgiving Tiger Tournament (Stockton, Calif.).
• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Jalen Tate (G) – Desi Sills (G) – Moses Moody (G) – Justin Smith (F) – Connor Vanover (F) for the seventh straight game.
• For the second straight game, Arkansas did not control the tip. Arkansas is 6-0 when it controls the tip and 2-0 when it does not.
• ACU’s Kolton Kohl scored the game’s first points, a free throw at 19:30. Arkansas’ first points came from Jalen Tate, a layup at 19:16.
• JD Notae was the first sub for Arkansas for the fifth time in eight games.
• Despite winning the game, Arkansas was out-scored by ACU’s bench, 35-27, and the Razorbacks were out-scored 40-24 in the paint.
• Abilene Christian scored the first points of the game, a free throw, and led for just 14 seconds. Arkansas scored on the ensuing possession and led the final 39:16 of the game.
• Arkansas is 8-0 for the second straight year. The last time Arkansas started 8-0 in back-to-back seasons was 1992-93 (8-0) and 1993-94 (10-0).
• Moses Moody has led Arkansas in scoring a team-best three times through the first eight games.
• Moses Moody had a season-high two blocked shots, giving him six for the season.
• Moses Moody recorded his second 20-point game, is the only Razorback to score in double figures in all eight games and is the only Razorback to make a 3-pointer in all eight games.
• Justin Smith recorded his seventh career game with double-digit rebounds. He is just 21 rebounds shy of 500 for his career. He is 79 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
• Desi Sills made a career-high six free throws and his seven attempts as one shy of his career high. He had two steals in the win to give the junior 15. He entered the game as the SEC leader in thefts.
Notae on bouncing back after picking up two quick fouls in first half
Arkansas’ J.D. Notae (18 points) was frustrated he picked up a couple of fouls early, but finished with a big second half in win Tuesday evening.
Morgan picks up All-SEC honor, named finalist for Burlsworth Aware
Arkansas linebacker Grant Morgan was named Tuesday to the All-SEC first team and six other players were named to other teams by the coaches.
He was also named Tuesday as one of the three finalists for the Burlsworth Award, given annually to the best player that started his collegiate career as a walk-on.
Sophomore wide receiver Treylon Burks, junior linebacker Bumper Pool and redshirt freshman safety Jalen Catalon garnered second team recognition.
Catalon also joined offensive lineman Brady Latham and tight end Hudson Henry on the All-Freshmen team.
Morgan is Arkansas’ first All-SEC first team selection by the league’s coaches since 2016 (Dan Skipper) and the first Razorback defender since Martrell Spaight in 2014.
Morgan talking with media Tuesday afternoon
He is tied for the nation’s lead, averaging 12.3 tackles per game while ranking second in the FBS and tops in the SEC with 111 total tackles. The Greenwood native also added five passes broken up, two quarterback hurries, one interception return for a touchdown, 2.0 sacks and a team-leading 7.5 tackles for loss to his season stat line.
The former walk-on recorded two 19-tackle games against Ole Miss and LSU, becoming the first SEC player to do so in a single season since LSU’s Kevin Minter in 2012.
Against Ole Miss, Morgan became the second FBS player since 2000 to total 15 or more tackles with 3.0 tackles for loss and an interception return for a touchdown. He is the only FBS player this season to record six games of at least 12 tackles.
Burks is the first Arkansas wide receiver to earn All-SEC recognition since Drew Morgan in 2015 when he earned the honor from the Associated Press.
Cobi Hamilton in 2012 was the last Arkansas wideout to be named to the Coaches’ All-SEC team when he was placed on the first team.
Burks on picking up honor Tuesday
Burks is ranked fourth in the SEC and 18th nationally with 820 receiving yards, placed sixth in the league with 5.7 receptions per game and seventh with seven touchdowns. Against Missouri, the Warren native made 10 catches for a career-high 206 receiving yards, the third-best single-game mark in program history.
The sophomore is tied for sixth in the FBS with six games of 90+ receiving yards.
Burks scored a touchdown in three straight games against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Tennessee, totaling four during that stretch, catching two TDs against the Aggies.
This season, Burks is one of just four FBS players to post 130+ receiving yards and 40+ rushing yards in the same game when he made 11 grabs for 137 yards and ran four times for 46 yards against Ole Miss. As a freshman last season, Burks was named to the Coaches’ second team as a returner.
Pool’s 11.2 tackles per game rank second-most in the SEC, while his 101 total tackles place him third in the league.
He added 6.5 tackles for loss, five passes broken up and one quarterback hurry to his season stat line. With six games of at least 11 tackles, Pool tied teammate Grant Morgan for the FBS lead.
In Arkansas’ win at No. 16 Mississippi State, the junior made 20 tackles, becoming one of just nine SEC players to reach the mark in the last 10 seasons. Against Texas A&M and LSU, the Lucas, Texas, native made 14 tackles in back-to-back weeks and registered 4.5 tackles for loss in that span.
Catalon becomes the first Arkansas DB since Tramain Thomas in 2010 to earn All-SEC recognition and is the first DB to earn the honor from the league’s coaches since Michael Grant in 2007.
He is the only player in the FBS to make 95+ tackles with three interceptions this season and is the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 to have at least 86 stops and three picks.
The dynamic defensive back leads all FBS freshmen with 99 total tackles while also posting 2.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His 9.9 tackles per game lead all FBS freshmen and rank fourth among all SEC players.
Catalon talking about picking up SEC honors
He made a career-best 16 tackles against LSU, and totaled five games of 12 or more tackles, second in the country behind Morgan.
Catalon became the first Hog to intercept passes in back-to-back games when he did so against LSU and Florida. He has also been named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America first team.
Henry had 16 catches for 92 yards (5.6 ypc) and a touchdown over six games played in his redshirt freshman season.
In Arkansas’ win at then-No. 16 Mississippi State, Henry snagged a 12-yard pass for his first career touchdown. He is the first Arkansas tight end to garner All-Freshmen honors since his brother, Hunter Henry, in 2013.
Latham has anchored himself on the offense line as a redshirt freshman, starting all 10 games at left guard.
Latham with media Tuesday afternoon on All-SEC selection
The Jenks, Okla., native has not allowed a sack this season.
According to Pro Football Focus he is tied for the SEC lead among conference guards, who have played at least 500 snaps, with only four quarterback hurries allowed. Denver Kirkland was the last Hog offensive lineman to garner All-Freshman honors in 2013.
