Early Warning Signs Put Basketball Team Behind 8-Ball

One nagging issue continues to face Hogs during the Musselman Era

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Yes, Arkansas basketball is good this year, but that doesn't mean perfect, as evidenced by the Hogs' 78-72 loss to UNC-Greensboro on Friday, giving the Spartans their first win over either an SEC school or a ranked opponent in program history.

The old adage is defense wins championships. Every year that cliche gets tested as teams move faster up with more offensive firepower. The inability to shoot, specifically from the three-point line, leaves Arkansas shorthanded against opponents that can use the triple as a weapon to combat the Razorbacks' strengths. The Spartans shot 9-for-24 from deep, while the Hogs shot 4-for-23 after a 1-for-19 start. 

The college game has continued to evolve. During Steph Curry's freshman year at Davidson back in 2006-07, only 12 Division I teams attempted more than 25 three-pointers a game. Last year, thanks in large part to how Curry revolutionized the game, that number ballooned to 44. The NCAA moved the three-point line back twice from the original distance of 19 feet, 9 inches to 22 feet. 1 3/4 inches most recently in 2019, but it did little to stop shooters from raining as many threes as possible. 

Eric Musselman's teams have never been built around shooting from deep and this year is no different, as evidenced by how Arkansas shot itself out the game against UNCG. The Razorbacks have finished outside the Top 300 the last two years, placing them in the bottom 17% in all of college basketball. 

"We can’t be much worse than what we’ve shot the last three years," Musselman said during the preseason. "I do think we are a better shooting team. That still has to happen in a game. There were times the last couple of years where we thought we could really shoot it, but you really need more than one or two guys to make shots."

It's hard to see who those guys are outside of budding star Khalif Battle, who shot 35% from deep for Temple a year ago and is off to a 9-for-19 start this season. Guard Joesph Pinion is the only proven marksman, but despite preseason talk about improved defensive ability, Musselman has shown zero interest making him a significant part of the rotation, playing just 24 minutes in four games. 

Still, Musselman's early season troubles run deeper than an inability to shoot threes. He has become increasing frustrated with the Hogs' defense. Having no one who can be a threat from outside makes it impossible to weather the storm as points come in spurts.

"We're not defending the three and we're not guarding the dribble drive," Musselman said after the UNC-Greensboro loss. "We've basically had the same defensive concepts for eight years and might have to look at changing some things based on our lack of ability to — especially the guard play — to keep the ball in front of us and also contest the three."

If any coach at Arkansas the right to be given the benefit of the doubt and time to work through issues, it's Musselman. Two Elite 8 finishes and a Sweet 16 don't happen by accident. 

Getting out of Bud Walton as the Razorbacks head to Nassau, Bahamas for Battle 4 Atlantis offers a chance to awaken Arkansas' shooters. The Hogs take on Stanford in the opening game Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPNU and FuboTV.

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