Musselman showing little interest in waiting to develop winning habit
Maybe the biggest thing in basketball that can’t be taught is height and Eric Mussleman showed Saturday night that Arkansas can figure out ways around it.
He played five guards at times in the 69-59 win over the Texas Aggies before a raucous sold-out crowd at Bud Walton.
“It was a little risky,” he said later.
He knew that coming in. In life, height is a product of either genetics or luck. For college basketball teams you either recruit it or figure out ways around it which was — more or less — what Musselman did against A&M.
“They’re comfortable, no matter who the five are,” Aggies coach Buzz Williams said later. “They’re interchangeable.”
The Razorbacks saw a 42-33 halftime lead disappear fairly quickly in the second half, primarily because the odds would have been long they could hit water falling out of a boat in the middle of a lake.
“What I didn’t think would happen is that we would struggle to score,” Musselman said in the postgame.
The Hogs were 2-of-6 from the field, 1-of-2 at the free-throw line and found themselves clinging to a 50-48 lead with 13:11 to play in the game.
About a minute later Musselman brought in Jalen Harris for the only player that gets into games with some height, Adrio Bailey, and the offense found some life. Arkansas shot nearly 50 percent (7-of-13) from the field.
The Hogs, behind Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe, opened a 66-56 lead with 3:52 left, but A&M got a final score from Andre Gordon with 3:36 to play and Musselman basically took the air out of things on offense.
“That small group was really good at getting stops when we really needed it,” he said. “There was a little bit of clock management, we were playing a little bit of a gamble running the clock down, but we thought it was the best way to handle the last four and-a-half minutes of the game.”
What doesn’t get the attention is how well this team plays defense, mostly just scrambling and disrupting things for the other team on offense.
“If you study their defensive numbers, they’re through the roof,” Williams said.
Desi Sills got his attention. Not with his quiet 13 points, four rebounds and two steals, but the disruption he caused in the Aggies’ offense.
“[Sills] is very, very pesky,” Williams said. “Really, really good on-the-ball defender.”
He was just part of the problem for A&M.
“The pressure is contested on every dribble, contested on every pass,” he said. “They own the elbow. That’s probably one of their defensive principles. They make it every hard to get it to the elbow.”
The Hogs committed just nine turnovers in the game, compared to the Aggies’ 17.
“That was a cushion we just couldn’t overcome,” Williams said.
On top of all that, the crowd of 19,200 was a factor in the game, too.
“We handled an incredible college basketball environment in many respects about as well as we could,” Williams said.
Musselman, playing like a chessmaster at times with some calculated gambles, got his first taste of how loud it can get.
“The crowd’s energy was insanely awesome,” he said later. “Had a buddy in from the Bay Area who said he’s never seen an arena as loud as that in his life.”
He might want to get used to it.
While the odds are every gamble he takes won’t work out as well as Saturday night, he’s shown through this team getting to a 12-1 record nobody predicted he’s moved the chess pieces around the board a couple of times before.
Let’s face it, did you think they would be here? Most people were willing to give Musselman a pass and just wanted to see a direction headed up and some fairly decent recruiting.
It’s apparent he wasn’t waiting around on anything … particularly wins.
Razorbacks rebound with 86-70 road win over Auburn on Sunday
AUBURN, Ala. — Arkansas got back into the win column on Sunday afternoon, beating Auburn, 86-70, in the SEC road opener behind Amber Ramirez’ 25 points.
The Razorbacks were again deadly from beyond the arc, nailing 12 triples for the second straight game and also out-rebounded the Tigers, 36-35.
The Hogs are 8-0 this season when they outrebound their opponent. Defensively, the Hogs held Auburn’s star forward Unique Thompson to just six points, snapping her 13-game double-double streak.
Ramirez delivered her best game as a Razorback against Auburn, making seven of her 14 3-pointers, tying her season-high in triples made. Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee had 19 points on an efficient 6-of-10 from the field.
Turning point
Arkansas got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-2 in the first period before one of their patented runs to take over the game, generating a monster 21-2 spurt in just under five minutes of clock time.
Ramirez was simply dominant in the quarter, outscoring Auburn by herself in the period, scoring 14 points to the Tigers’ 12. She scored 11 of those points straight during the spurt, nailing back-to-back-to-back triples after hitting a shot from the midrange.
Hog highlights
• Ramirez’s seven triples matched her own mark for the most by a Razorback this season. She also had seven against Northwestern State.
• Redshirt junior guard A’Tyanna Gaulden ran the show effectively again on Sunday, dishing a team-high five assists.
• Freshman guard Makayla Daniels stuffed the stat sheet against Auburn, going for 13 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal.
• Senior guard Alexis Tolefree nearly registered her first-career double-double, going for 11 points and eight rebounds. Those eight boards matched her career high and led the team against Auburn.
Next time out
The Razorbacks stay on the road, heading to Columbia, S.C. for a showdown with No. 4 South Carolina.
That game is set to tipoff at 6 p.m. and will be streamable on SECN+.
Razorbacks pull away at end of second half to get past Texas A&M
FAYETTEVILLE — Isaiah Joe scored 11 of his 17 points over the final 8:18 of the second half to help Arkansas pull away for a 69-59 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday night before a sold-out at Bud Walton Arena.
The game was the SEC opener for both teams. Arkansas improved to 12-1, the program’s best start since 2008-09.
Joe was 4-of-5 from the field (3-of-4 from 3-point range) over the final 8:18. Mason Jones, who had four rebounds over the final 8:18, scored 17 for the game as well, while adding a team-high six rebounds with three assists and three steals.
After Adrio Bailey picked up his fourth foul with 12:12 left in the game, Arkansas went to a five-guard lineup. Including Joe’s 11 points over the span 8:18, Arkansas out-scored the Aggies 19-11 and out-rebounded A&M 10-9.
Arkansas also forced eight turnovers, while committing just two.
Arkansas was clinging to a two-point lead (50-48) after a near six-minute drought, missing nine straight shots and making just 1-of-12 over six-and-a-half minutes.
Jimmy Whitt, Jr., ended the dry spell with a jumper at the free throw line. Texas A&M’s Andre Gordon followed with a layup to get the Aggies back to within two, 52-50.
From that point, Joe drained a 3-pointer as part of a 14-6 run to put the Razorbacks up 10 (66-56) with 3:52 left.
The teams traded 3-pointers over the next two minutes, including one by Joe at 1:41 to provide the 69-59 final as neither team scored the rest of the game.
Joe finished with five 3-pointers, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Desi Sills added 13 and Whitt 12. Jalen Harris had five assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes off the bench.
Arkansas hits the road for two straight, playing at LSU on Wednesday (Jan. 8) and at Ole Miss next Saturday. The LSU game is set for 8 pm and the game will be telecast on ESPNU.
FIRST HALF: Arkansas 42–Texas A&M 33
• Isaiah Joe took his team-leading ninth charge at 12:44 in the first half and the game was tied 11-11 at the first media timeout.
• Arkansas took its first lead, 13-11, after two free throws by Jalen Harris. The Hogs led 15-14 at the under 12-minute timeout. Arkansas kept its one-point lead (21-20) at the 8-minute timeout.
• The game was tied, 30-30, with 2:46 to play in the first half, but the Hogs went on a 12-3 run to take a 42-33 lead into the locker room. During the run, Mason Jones made a 3-pointer, Jimmy Whitt hit a jumper in the lane, Jones made a 4-pioint play and Desi Sills hit a triple at time expired in the first half.
• Desi Sills and Mason Jones led the Razorbacks, each with 11 points.
• Isaiah Joe led the team with four rebounds and Jalen Harris had four assists.
SECOND HALF: Arkansas’ five-guard lineup propels team to win.
• Arkansas withstood a 0-for-9 spell (and 1-of-12) but never surrendered the lead. The Aggies got to within two before Jimmy Whitt ended the dry spell with a jumper at the free throw line at 9:52 for a 52-48 lead.
• The teams only combined to go 0-of-1 from the free throw line over the final 8:18. Josh Nebo took the only free throw attempt.
• Joe scored 11 points over the final 8:18. The Aggies scored 11 points over the final 8:18.
Game notes
• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Jimmy Whitt (G) – Isaiah Joe (G) – Desi Sills (G) – Mason Jones (G) – Adrio Bailey (F) for the 12th time this season.
• Texas A&M won the tip. It was the seventh time in 13 games the opponent won the tip. Arkansas is 7-0 in such games.
• Texas A&M’s Savion Flagg scored the first points of the game, a banked 3-pointer as the shot clock expired at 19:39. Mason Jones scored Arkansas’ first points, a 3-pointer from the top of the key. He has scored the Razorbacks’ first points five times this season.
• The sellout crowd of 19,200 was the largest at Bud Walton Arena since Dec. 3, 2016 versus Austin Peay with a crowd of 19,483.
• Arkansas snapped a streak of two games when it trailed at the half (Valpo and Indiana). Arkansas is 9-0 when leading at the half this season.
• Isaiah Joe now has 163 career 3-pointers made. He moves to eighth on the school’s all-time list.
• This was Jalen Harris’ 23rd game as a Razorback with at least five assists and his 11th without a turnover.
• Desi Sills scored in double figures for the second straight game and this sixth of the season. He was 1-of-4 from 3-point range and is shooting 35.5% (11-of-31) from 3-point range over his last six games. He started the season 2-of-20 (6.7%).
• Jimmy Whitt Jr., scored in double figures for the 10th time this season.
• Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature three players ranked among the top 20 in scoring, including Mason Jones, Isaiah Joe and Jimmy Whitt.
• This was just the second time this season four Razorbacks scored in double figures.
Musselman on team’s play, Hog-wild atmosphere in 69-59 win over Aggies
Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman talked after the win Saturday night at Bud Walton Arena about the crowd and his team’s play to open conference play.
Williams on Hogs using five guards at times a ‘tough matchup’ for A&M
Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams talked after the 69-59 loss to Arkansas on Saturday night about how matching up against five guards at time was a problem for his team.
Whitt on Hogs pulling away from Aggies late for double-digit win
Arkansas’ Jimmy Whitt, Jr. (12 points, 4 rebounds) talked after the 69-59 win over Texas A&M that tight games are what you expect when you get to conference play.
Razorbacks open SEC play at Bud Walton against Texas A&M
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (11-1) host Texas A&M (6-5)
What: Arkansas’ SEC Opener – GAME IS SOLD OUT
When: Saturday, Jan. 4, 6 p.m.
Where: Fayetteville, Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena
How (to follow):
• TV: SEC Network (Kevin Fitzgerald and Dane Bradshaw)
• Watch SEC Network Online
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
• Online: HitThatLine.com
• Sirius/XM: XM Channel 374 and streaming online, channel 374
• Live Stats: www.Arkansas.StatBroadcast.com
Pregame information
• The first 5,000 fans through the gates of Bud Walton Arena will receive a free poster. WATCH
• As we welcome back our men’s basketball lettermen, there will be an autograph session featuring former Razorbacks from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the northwest concourse of Bud Walton Arena.
Some of the former players scheduled to participate in the autograph session include: Kikko Haydar, Kareem Reid, Joe Kleine, Charles Balentine, Sunday Adebayo, Darrell Hawkins, Ken Biley, Corey Beck, Ron Brewer, Sr., Clyde Fletcher and others.
Did you know?
• Arkansas is one of five teams in Division I basketball without a loss in regulation. The other four include Duke, Dayton, Auburn and San Diego State.
Best scoring trio in SEC
Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature:
• Two players in the league’s top 5 for scoring — Mason Jones (2nd / 19.7) • Isaiah Joe (4th / 17.4)
• Three players in the league’s top 20 for scoring — Jimmy Whitt Jr. (18th / 13.5)
Versus Texas A&M
• This will be the 159th meeting between Arkansas and Texas A&M. The Razorbacks own a 102-56 advantage in the series, including a 57-15 advantage in games played in Fayetteville.
• Arkansas is 7-5 versus the Aggies since A&M joined the SEC for the 2012-13 season.
• The teams split the series last season, each winning on the road. Texas A&M defeated Arkansas in the last meeting, 87-80 last February in Bud Walton Arena. The Hogs had won 10 straight in Fayetteville over the Aggies prior to the loss dating back to Jan. 25, 1987.
Oldest, most common rival
• Texas A&M is one of three teams on this year’s schedule that Arkansas played in its inaugural season in 1923-24. Rice (144 meetings) and TCU (142 meetings) are the others.
• The Aggies won each of the first two meetings in that 1923-24 season – back-to-back games in College Station, 35-27 and 32-17.
• The Aggies are the Razorbacks’ most common opponent with 158 games played in the series.
SEC play begins
• Arkansas will open conference play versus Texas A&M for the fifth time in the eight years since A&M joined the league (2012-13) but this is the first time the meeting has been in Fayetteville. With a win to open SEC play last season at A&M, the Razorbacks are 1-3 versus the Aggies when opening league play.
• Beginning its 29th season in the Southeastern Conference, Arkansas is 16-12 all-time in SEC openers.
• Arkansas is 11-4 when its first SEC game is at home and are 17-11 overall when playing its first SEC home game.
Razorbacks are 11-1
• Arkansas is off to an 11-1 start for the first time since 2016-17. The 2016-17 Hogs lost their 13th game, an SEC opener at #25 Florida.
• Arkansas’ .917 winning percentage is 8th-T in the NCAA.
• Arkansas is 1 of 11 teams in the NCAA with one or fewer losses.
• Arkansas is 1 of 11 teams in the NCAA with one or fewer losses.
No. 26 in NCAA NET, No. 10 in RPI
Arkansas’ NCAA NET jumped seven spots to 26th after a 71-64 road win at Indiana.
• Arkansas’ NET is 2nd-best among SEC schools behind Auburn (5).
• The rest of the SEC: LSU (41); Kentucky (44); Ole Miss (54); Florida (55); Missouri (57); Alabama (62); Georgia (68); Tennessee (75); Miss. State (82); South Carolina (121); Vanderbilt (143) and Texas A&M (188).
Arkansas has an RPI of 10.
• Arkansas’ RPI of 10 is better than 16 teams ranked in the in the AP top 25, including top-ranked Gonzaga (#1 AP/#50 RPI); Oregon (#4 AP/#15 RPI); Baylor (#6 AP/#23 RPI); Louisville (#7 AP/#12 RPI); Memphis (#9 AP/#24 RPI); Butler (#11 AP/#11 RPI); Michigan (#12 AP/#31 RPI); Michigan State (#14 AP/#17 RPI); Kentucky (#17 AP/#87 RPI); Virginia (#19 AP/#28 RPI); Dayton (#20 AP/#13 RPI); Penn State (#21 AP/#37 RPI); TX Tech (#22 AP/#104 RPI); Iowa (#23 AP/#48 RPI); Wichita St (#24 AP/#21 RPI); Arizona (#25 AP/#26 RPI)
Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List
• Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
• Fans can vote for their favorite player HERE
SEC West will be getting another new face after Moorhead kicked to curb
At the rate things are going in the SEC West the total annual payout to fired coaches is going to be higher than what Nick Saban gets every year in Tuscaloosa.
Mississippi State finally had enough of the Joe Moorhead act and fired him after athletics director John Cohen saw he couldn’t get control of the team from the end of the year to the bowl game.
“This decision goes beyond wins and losses,” Cohen said Friday after cutting Moorhead earlier in the morning. “There were other issues, and everything factors in.”
Sources close to the program said it was basically a complete lack of control over the players. There were already enough questions from some in the fan base for Moorhead.
In the most recent NFL draft, the Bulldogs had four players among the first 44 selections. Some questioned how you go 7-5 in the regular season with that kind of talent.
Backing into a win in the final game of the season against rival Ole Miss bought some time, but the questions remained and starting quarterback Garrett Shrader got into a very public fight that left him injured for the bowl game re-ignited the flames.
Moorhead, who defiantly said after the win over the Rebels that getting a win mainly because an Ole Miss player tried to mimic a dog, coached 26 games in Starkville and joins Arkansas’ Chad Morris and Willie Taggart as coaches fired after their second season.
Ten players missed eight games during the season and, according to multiple sources, that tipped the edge on team discipline.
Moorhead basically lost control of the team, despite managing to get six wins. It helped he had Arkansas on the schedule, caught Kentucky in transition and Ole Miss finding ways to lose games.
Louisiana coach Billy Napier was reportedly the main target for Cohen, but the timing may be bad for that change.
Former Auburn coach (and current SEC Network analyst) Gene Chizik is reportedly looking to get back into coaching and on the list for Cohen.
Moorhead is the now the fourth coach in the league to be fired. In addition to Morris and Ole Miss’ Matt Luke, current Arkansas defensive coordinator was let go at Missouri.
???? Halftime Pod — Horns Down and Justin Bieber
Phil & Tye discuss the A&M matchup, interview Aaron Torres, plus Horns Down/Justin Bieber discussion
