All Hogs

North Dakota State Opener Could be Educational, Yet Frustrating

Bisons' unique style of play will test youthful Hogs early, giving Musselman valuable information going forward

Kent Smith

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When Arkansas takes the court against North Dakota State Monday night, the biggest keys to the game will be what the fans can learn about this Razorback team and whether this group of players can learn to play under head coach Eric Musselman.

When Arkansas fans see the Bison on the schedule, it probably comes with less familiarity than they have with this completely retooled Razorback roster. 

The first thing to know is that basketball is taken very seriously in the Dakotas. 

The entire allHogs staff has run across at least one fan base from one of the Dakota basketball teams back when they were all scrapping away at the Division II level. Even though it was a lower division, they flooded the cities even though it was over 1,000 miles away.

The other takeaway was fans from the Dakotas are baffled if you don't know their teams and celebrate them on the level of a Kentucky or Kansas. It doesn't register that what's big and always present in the Dakotas isn't big and always present in SEC states.

That being said, they're still great people who truly love their teams. 

As for the basketball team, while depth is going tip heavily in the Razorbacks' favor, North Dakota State does boast a unique core set of players who can create difficulties early on for this youthful Arkansas team.

For much of the season, Arkansas will have a size advantage. However, Andrew Morgan, who comes in at 6-10, 245, has already displayed tremendous growth over last year and has shown the ability both as a freshman and already as a sophomore to get blazing hot.

Morgan put up 22 points in 18 minutes in the Bisons' exhibition game. He shot 8-for-9 from the floor, was 5-of-7 from the charity stripe and hit his only 3-point attempt. 

"I hate to talk about myself, but Dave Richman basketball is we want to pound it inside out," North Dakota State coach Dave Richman said. "I will take credit. I am behind the mop, the hair [worn by Morgan]. I want that to be the nastiest looking dude around. He's bought in tremendously to Coach Miller in the weight room. He's so big and so physical and strong."

Morgan hit 63% of his shots last year, including a game where he went 10-of-11 and another where he scored 13 points in 14 minutes.

If a 6-10 forward hitting a three wasn't enough of a hint, the Bison are lights out from three. The core players hit 14-of-25 from beyond the arc, including 6-of-10 from 6-4 guard Tajavis Miller from Lubbock, Texas.

Miller was a Top 40 combo guard in last year's recruiting class who fits the profile of the type of player Musselman is known to snatch up in the transfer portal after a bit of seasoning. 

Arkansas fans will also be forced to become familiar with Grant Nelson and Lance Waddle. Nelson is highly athletic for a 6-11 big man and Waddles is a solid sharp shooter who can fill it up from anywhere on the court.

Seeing how the younger players handle themselves against the more heavily experienced Waddle, who has proven he can post big games against any team regardless or conference, will tell Musselman more about his players' development than any of the exhibition games.

Waddle shot 57% from three last game, which makes him a player who can put Arkansas in a hole quickly. 

Playing from behind is one thing Musselman needs to see his team experience, so facing a team that can fill the box score up quickly while their legs are still fresh will be highly beneficial. Battling from behind isn't something he will want his young team to face for the first time under the bright lights of the Maui Invitational or SEC play.

The sooner he can see his team respond to such a moment the better.

The last player Razorback fans need to know is Boden Skunberg. The 6-5 guard was the North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year before spending the past two seasons with the Bison.

Skunberg posted 10 points in his last outing with 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, but the stat that lept off the page was his six rebounds in 29 minutes of play. He's a sneaky guard who isn't afraid to slip in among the big men and come away with defensive rebounds.

The last thing Arkansas fans need to know is the Bison can be a frustrating team to play. Their style can get under a team's skin and eventually things might boil over, causing their opponents to fall apart mentally while North Dakota slowly pulls away.

The takeaway is that North Dakota State isn't a team to be overlooked - especially by a team this young with so little playing experience together. If it's a tougher test than fans expect, it's nothing to freak out about.

The Bison are a team that won 23 games last year and brings a ton of talented experience to its roster. 

And after the exhibition game against Texas, this is the type of game Musselman wants. 

After all, there's a lot of knowledge to be gained by everyone, and classes start Monday.

Arkansas divider

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Arkansas divider

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Published
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.