Is Zone Defense Really All It's Going to Take to End Most Hyped Team in Razorback History?

Someone Better Find the Will to Be Great for Hogs or Alabama Game Will Be Ugly

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It can't be that easy. 

Arkansas was supposed to have so much talent on its roster that Eric Musselman could pull his entire starting five and run in another set of five players and still have a better line-up on the floor than 90 percent of America.

The in-game discussion of how deep the NBA talent on the team runs was projected to be so frequent that Arkansas fans would be as sick of hearing about it as they were about Dave Van Horn's jersey swap by mid-January. 

From the second the ink dried on the letters of intent, Razorback fans pictured a world where outside of Alabama, Gonzaga and perhaps Tennessee, it wasn't going to be a question of whether the Hogs would win, but instead, it would be a matter of by how much.

That's why it simply makes no sense. How is it that a basic zone defense is all it takes to knock off such a loaded team?

It's like the Avengers realizing Thanos had a peanut allergy and just needed Tony Stark to whip up a few peanut butter sandwiches to save the universe.

The gap in the armor was discovered by Missouri and exploited by Bruce Pearl on Saturday.

The second Auburn came out in a zone defense the game was over.

Missouri proved the Razorbacks don't have the shooters to combat the zone and Pearl said once he saw that, even though Auburn hadn't played zone all year, he knew that maintaining the Tigers' home winning streak would be much easier if they did.

Auburn dominated most of the way, clogging the paint and cutting on lanes as Arkansas struggled from behind the arc and at the free throw line. Arkansas was a miserable 2-for-16 from three and 19-of-32 from the free throw line.

By game's end, a team that oozed with bravado and swag early in the season hesitated to pull the trigger on wide open threes down the stretch. Players Musselman needed to count on suddenly had all the confidence of a seventh grade boy trying to ask a girl to a middle school dance.

Much has been made about how it's tradition now for Arkansas to be terrible in late December and early January only to heat up and dominate all the way through the NCAA Tournament. 

However, this is different. By this point in the season, those teams were beginning to come together. 

This team is coming apart. The chemistry has worked in reverse.

Right out the gate this was a team throwing up lobs before most people realized anyone had made a move for the rim. There was barely eye contact at times.

Now it's a chore to simply throw a pass to a teammate while staring him in the eye.

Also, this is around the time roles started to solidify on previous teams. Musselman just had to make his final adjustments around his core group before lettings his dogs off the leash.

You knew who was probably going to take the shot if you needed a three. You knew who was going to slash to the basket if you needed a tough drive that might have to be converted to a running floater.

You knew that either Justin Smith or Jaylin Williams could be counted on down low to get a stop defensively, a key rebound or a physical bucket in the paint.

Right now, Kamani Johnson can be counted on to do the dirty work as far as rebounds go, but he's not a consistent offensive threat. Depending on what night it is, Anthony Black can be counted on to find a way to the basket.

But then what? Where's the stone cold shooter? Where's your JD Notae or Isaiah Joe?

Maybe at least a Jalen Tate?

There's supposedly too much talent on this team to not be able to break a zone. If the bench is as deep as people are led to believe, there has to be someone who can consistently hit a three.

It would be irresponsible to rebuild an entire roster and only include maybe two guys who can hit from behind the arc on a regular basis.

It's time to stop resting on the excuse that Trevon Brazile and Nick Smith, Jr. are gone. Brazile's been gone for a month and Smith barely played the equivalent of two games.

If these young men are who the commentators keep telling us they are, then it should be an all out war to fill the void left by the absence of the injured. The electric bill at the basketball facilities should require a special fundraiser from guys constantly looking for ways to up their game when they're not working on classes.

According to Musselman Saturday night, that culture may have faded a bit and needs to return sooner than later.

There's got to at least one or two players who understand that the enemy of greatness is being really good. Someone salivating at the idea of being the sniper who relishes in breaking the zone each night.

Somewhere in this line-up there's bound to be more than one Razorback dedicated to making teams regret playing such physical defense out of fear of putting him on the line for free points.

There's need and opportunity. But is there someone on this roster willing to do what it takes to grab that brass ring?

Is there someone other than Eric Musselman on that bench who's got the ruthless aggression and "you can't stop me" killer attitude and work ethic it's going to take to help this team live up to its promise?

Or is this going to be the team dripping with hype that allowed itself to get taken down by one of the most training wheels of basketball principles?

If there's true greatness in that locker room, not just someone skating by on being really good at a handful of skills, then it had better reveal itself by the time Alabama steps on the floor this Saturday.

Otherwise, this is about to get Rocky vs. Clubber Lang in the first fight ugly.

HOGS FEED:

ARKANSAS COULDN'T EXECUTE BASICS AGAINST AUBURN

COULD TEXAS, OKLAHOMA BE HEADED OVER JOIN THE SEC FAMILY A LITTLE SOONER THAN PLANNED?

EQUIPMENT DEBACLE AT A&M LEADS TO DISCOVER OF HOGS' SOCIAL MEDIA GEM

DON'T LET FACTS GET IN WAY OF IRRATIONAL HATE WITH KENDAL BRILES, HOGS' OFFENSE

TEXAS, OKLAHOMA COMING SOON, BUT THEN WHO'S NEXT FOR THE SEC?

PEYTON HILLIS SHOWED POTENTIAL FOR BIGGEST PLAY IN HIS LIFE AT YOUNG AGE

HOGS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR KENDAL BRILES, QUARTERBACK KJ JEFFERSON STAYING WITH HOGS

BRILES, JEFFERSON REVEAL WHETHER THEY WILL REMAIN WITH RAZORBACK PROGRAM

TEXAS EXPECTED TO TARGET PROMINENT SEC COACHES, BUT MUSSELMAN NOT BEST FIT AMONG THE GROUP

ARKANSAS CAN'T LOSE WHAT IT NEVER REALLY HAD WITH NICK SMITH'S EXTENDED ABSENCE

ARKANSAS DECIDES TO HIRE SECOND DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR TO ASSIST

HOGS THOUGHT THEY HAD AVOIDED POTENTIAL NIGHTMARE, BUT PETRINO ENDS UP AT A&M ANYWAY

RAZORBACKS' ATHLETIC DIRECTOR HUNTER YURACHEK ON PROCEDURES AFTER DAMAR HAMLIN INJURY

BILLS' DAMAR HAMLIN LEAVING FIELD ALIVE DUE IN PART TO A COUPLE OF OTHER TRAGEDIES IN SPORTS WITH ARKANSAS TIES

RED FLAGS WITH JORDAN DOMINECK DEPARTURE DESPITE RECENT PLEDGE TO STAY

OHIO ST. LEARNED WHAT ARKANSAS ALREADY KNOWS, TEXAS/OU NEED TO LEARN ALSO

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