Down two key rotation players in a must-win road game, the Razorbacks took care of business Saturday with an 88-68 win over Mississippi State. John Calipari has still never lost in Starkville in his career.
After a back-and-forth start, the Hogs broke an 11-11 tie with a 15-2 run that put them up comfortably for the rest of the game. A Darius Acuff 3-pointer as the first half clock expired made it 43-30 at the half, and the Bulldogs got no closer the rest of the way. Acuff finished with 24 points, eight assists, and only one turnover. Meleek Thomas (17 points) and Trevon Brazile (19 points, eight rebounds) each played the full 40 minutes.
The Hogs were without Karter Knox and DJ Wagner, who were surprising additions to the injury report this week despite the Hogs having no midweek game. Billy Richmond III started in place of Knox and scored 14 points in 25 minutes. With only six normal rotational players available, the Hogs had to get creative. They played some three-forward lineups, and also got freshman Isaiah Sealy 15 minutes, which he turned into six points and three blocks.
The Bulldogs did what they do, leaning on the high-usage-but-inefficient Josh Hubbard, who scored 16 points and dished out five assists, but the Bulldog role players are just not very good. I think Chris Jans is a pretty good coach overall, but this year was a dreadful swing-and-miss on roster construction. It’s possible that the NIL has run dry after Jans’ first three teams failed to win a game in the NCAA Tournament.
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We emphasized in the preview that State struggles to keep opponents out of transition because their guards are not good individual defenders. That showed itself in this one, as Arkansas racked up 36 transition points. The Hogs were +15 off turnovers, +2 in true fast breaks, and +4 in the paint.
State got into the paint (66%) and attempted two additional free throws, but the Hogs were more efficient from the field (+10% eFG%) and generated six additional shot chances (two from offensive rebounds, four from turnovers). State’s inability to affect anything Arkansas was doing turned this into a smooth, free-flowing game that allowed Arkansas to assert its major athletic advantage. The Hogs shot better, got better ball movement, crashed the offensive boards, and avoided turnovers.
Brazile takes home MVP honors for this one, while Acuff was also very good offensively. Malique Ewin’s 14 minutes produced 17 of the 20-point advantage.
One interesting note was Arkansas’ use of an ultra-large lineup with Ewin, Nick Pringle, and Trevon Brazile sharing the floor together with Acuff and Thomas in the backcourt. That puts three guys 6’10 or 6’11 together. It played five possessions together to close the first half and outscored State 6-0, forcing three State turnovers, drawing a couple fouls, and recording an offensive rebound. That’s the first time we’ve seen this forward trio play together all season. It might be that Mississippi State is unathletic enough at the 3 through 5 spots for it to work, and it may not work against other opponents. But it might be worth watching to see if the Hogs bring it out again.
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Arkansas’ string of need-to-have games continues on Tuesday at LSU. The Tigers have better analytics than the Bulldogs despite a head-to-head loss to them, and Arkansas struggled with them in Fayetteville last month. It sounds like the Hogs could have Knox, Wagner, or both back in the lineup. Either way, the Hogs need to find a way to win.
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