All Hogs

Unveiling of Newest Iteration of Hogs Simply Stunning

Defense, athleticism, selflessness highlight what might be deepest Arkansas roster ever

Kent Smith

Unveiling of Newest Iteration of Hogs Simply Stunning
Unveiling of Newest Iteration of Hogs Simply Stunning /
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It hasn't been long enough for Arkansas fans to forget last year's Elite 8 game against Duke.

Wave after wave of elite talent had the Razorbacks feeling overpowered and vulnerable like...

Well, the guy who got dunked on by Anthony Black Monday night.

That feeling of being outmatched from a talent standpoint appears to be over – at least for this year. 

If an exhibition game against a Division II Rogers State team that just started playing basketball a few years ago is any indication, Arkansas is going to win every game by 40-50 points while toying its opponent. 

Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee will line the aisle serving as the carpet for the SEC's reaffirmed king to stride upon on the way to the throne.

All sarcasm aside, and that definitely was sarcasm, even against a lesser opponent in a game that doesn't count, it was clear that Eric Musselman has assembled a scary amount of talent. 

What's more impressive is that on a team stacked with guys who have spent their entire lives up until a few months ago being "The Man," each player seemed to get more joy making the extra pass or defensive stop that set up another Razorback for the score than when doing the scoring.

There were no hints of selfishness. No one dribbled past three guys while ignoring open men so he could get his points and highlight moment.

Because of this, the Hillcats had their heads on a swivel trying to figure out which way was up. The passes came fast and from every potential starting point. 

The ball bounced around like a ping-pong ball until it landed in the hands of a man who was so wide open or mismatched that he had no choice but to forego the pass to take the shot.

The biggest takeaway is how athletic and insanely deep this team is. It's hard to imagine Musselman sticking to his usual pattern of benching most of the team to roll with six to at most eight guys for the final four months of the season. 

That much talent, plus they all are invested in defense? 

There are already indicators that practices will often be tougher than games considering Musselman didn't think his team could shoot from the perimeter.

The problem is the group is fierce on defense along the outer stripe. Shooting against perimeter defense as good as the Razorbacks deploy will make anyone look bad.

But once Arkansas got to face someone else, the 3-point shots began to fall.

This is going to be one of those years where, much like in the late 80s to early 90s, fans won't want to miss any games; even the ones against weak non-conference opponents.

However, a quick glance at this schedule indicates those games will be few and far between as Musselman has loaded the slate to better test this team over the course of the year. 

After all, even the exhibition season has a marquis game with Texas coming up next.

This is going to be a wild year. Hog fans better soak it in while they can because what was shown on the floor in Arkansas for the first time against Rogers State is special.

And these days, special doesn't stick around for more than a year before moving on to bigger things.

Arkansas divider

HOGS FEED:

EVERYTHING NO RAZORBACK FAN KNEW ABOUT ROGERS STATE

KJ JEFFERSON KEPT SHOULDER INJURY SECRET FOR FULL MONTH

SEC SHORTS SENDS ARKANSAS, SEC FOES IN FOR THERAPY SESSION

'BLACK ADAM' WINS RAZORBACK OFF-WEEK WITH BIG SWING AT MARVEL

GAME TIME SET FOR HOGS' FIRST HOME GAME IN OVER A MONTH AGAINST LIBERTY

HOGS' SCHEDULE LOOKS MORE DAUNTING AFTER PAST WEEKEND

IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING NOW TENNESSEE NOT ON RAZORBACKS' SCHEDULE THIS YEAR

HOGS' ERIC MUSSELMAN NOT EVEN LOOKING AT ROGERS STATE UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT'S EXHIBITION

EVERYTHING NO RAZORBACK FAN KNEW ABOUT ROGERS STATE

HUDSON CLARK PICKS UP SECOND ARD OF WEEK, THIS TIME IT'S A NATIONAL ONE

RAZORBACKS' NICK SMITH NAMED AN ALL-AMERICAN BEFORE HE EVER PLAYS A COLLEGE GAME

IT HASN'T TAKEN ERIC MUSSELMAN LONG TO CHANGE SEC DRESS CODE FOR COACHES AT SEC MEDIA DAYS

SEC ROUNDUP: VIDEO SHOWS ALABAMA PLAYER APPEARING TO HIT A FEMALE VOLS' FAN

WHY DOES THE SEC MEDIA SUDDENLY RESPECT ARKANSAS BASKETBALL?

HOGS CAN'T SCRIMMAGE IN BYE WEEK BECAUSE THEY ARE IN A CORNER, SAYS SAM PITTMAN

ARKANSAS REPORTER FIRES PERFECT QUESTION BACK AT KENTUCKY'S JOHN CALIPARI

MOCK SCHEDULE SHOWS HOW TOUGH TEXAS' SCHEDULE COULD BE WHEN THEY JOIN LEAGUE

Arkansas divider

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments.