TYE’s TAKE: Three things Arkansas basketball needs to improve

Arkansas football has come to an abrupt end and now fans turn their focus to the hardwood.

Through five games, Mike Anderson’s squad has compiled a 4-1 record and looked promising at times. The lone loss coming to the Texas Longhorns, who have looked solid early on. The Razorbacks had a better’s chance to beat Texas, but were unable to get it done.

This team has an uphill battle to go dancing. That being said, postseason play is not completely out of the question. Here’s three things the Razorbacks need to improve on in order to make the NCAA Tournament (not saying they will.)

1. Free throws

This has not just been an issue for Mike Anderson’s squads in 2018. Right now, the Razorbacks rank 283rd in free throw percentage according to Kenpom.

Last season, Arkansas finished this statistic at 297th. A year prior, the team shot at a 76% clip. As young as this team is, easy buckets will be crucial for success.

The botches almost cost Arkansas down the stretch against Indiana at home. If not the the free throw woes against Texas, the Razorbacks might be undefeated right now.

The team could only knock down 54% that day. One of the misses included Daniel Gafford’s miss at the end of regulation which allowed Texas to tie the game up with a triple.

PHOTO BY RAZORBACK SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS

The Razorbacks look to be improving, converting 74% from the line against UT Arlington. Gafford nailed 9-10, which is a good sign moving forward. This area needs to shore up or Arkansas could face a number of close losses ahead.

2. Offensive rebounding

Gafford is a wrecking ball down low at both ends of the floor, but who is going to help crash the glass when he hits the pine? A lack of size outside of the El Dorado native has hurt the Razorback in this area. Arkansas has had too many one-and-done’s so far.

The team only has 48 offensive boards on the season. Gafford has 11 and no one else is in the double digits. 244th is the not the number you want to be associated with.

Matt Zimmerman, Arkansas Director of Basketball Operations, has come on Halftime with us a couple times the past few weeks. He stressed how this team needs to keep “playing physical.”

The competition is only going to increase once conference play rolls around. Just go back to how much success the conference had last season.

“People said you couldn’t win in basketball in the SEC because it’s a football league & that is the most utterly preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. In fact, SEC football can only help you win in basketball” – Mike Tranghese pic.twitter.com/Jald8D8Ec5

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) March 14, 2018

3. Fitness

It’s early on, so fans shouldn’t be too worried about this one. Many saw how dog-tired Gafford was during the Indiana game down the stretch (Reminds me of when I ran mountains during high school basketball — don’t miss that). Romeo Langford got a wide open three because Gafford was worn out.

Almost every one of these players have yet to play under Mike Anderson. These guys coming from juco’s and high school will have an adjustment period early on before adapting to Anderson’s style. Running the Cleveland Hill over and over is one thing. Running the “Fastest 40” is a whole new level of difficult.