Persistence, Lineup Changes Lead to Better Shooting for Hogs

Razorbacks shooting has taken massive leap over the past three weeks heading into North Carolina A&T game

Johnell Davis (1) shoots a three against UTSA inside Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks won 75-60. / Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari was annoyed at how poorly his team was shooting the ball early in the season.

After an ugly 65-49 win over Troy in November in which the Razorbacks went 2-for-11 in the first have from three, Calipari came into the interview room with jokes.

"How many of you thought at halftime [that] this may be the worst shooting team I’ve ever seen?" Calipari said postgame.

Through two and a half games, the Hogs might have been the worst shooting team in the country. Arkansas started just 11-for-50 from beyond the arc, an abysmal 22%, enough to even make the most confident shooter do a double take.

Ever since that moment, Arkansas' shooting numbers have been on a linear trajectory up. After seven games, it was 34.8%. It now sits at 37.2% after 11 games. The Razorbacks rank 65th in the nation and sixth in the SEC, despite the horrid start.

Over the past four games, the Hogs have shot the three at a 41.9% clip, a figure that would rank second nationally if it could be sustained for an entire season. Assistant coach Chuck Martin credits just old-fashioned practice.

"The kids have been really putting the work into it," Martin said. "Sometimes, you can put the work and effort into it and you just don’t get the results. So it's not like they’re working any less, they’re working at it and it’s starting to click at the right time."

Adou Thiero shoots the ball during warmups before the game against UTSA. The Razorbacks won 75-60. / Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images

The addition of having two near 7-footers on the floor has also allowed the team to get better looks because of all the attention that the size inside draws from the defense.

"The second thing that’s been super beneficial for us is the lineup with the two bigs," Martin said. "When you got Jonas Aidoo and TB and you throw the ball inside into the post to Jonas, you’re going to draw a double team. Central Arkansas was an example of that. Anytime the ball went into the post, they double teamed Jonas and he did a great job of making the right reads out of the post, which forced rotation and gave us pretty good looks."

Arkansas will look to continue its hot shooting against North Carolina A&T 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the penultimate non-conference game. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

HOGS FEED:

• 'Whack-a-Mole' strategy for Razorbacks may be only option

• Can Calipari's short roster replicate what Richardson's Hogs did years ago?

• JUCO court ruling could be death knell for high school football recruits

• Arkansas Edge's holiday auction brings little NIL cheer

• Former Hogs' commit enters transfer portal after one season with rival

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow HogsSI on X and Facebook