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Winning Ugly Remains Early Recipe for Razorbacks

Razorbacks continue to stack wins without horses to rack up style points

Curtis Wilkerson

Boogie Fland (2) leads the huddle with Adou Thiero (3), Johnell Davis (1), DJ Wagner (21), Trevon Brazile (4) against the Troy Trojans. The Razorbacks won 65-49.
Boogie Fland (2) leads the huddle with Adou Thiero (3), Johnell Davis (1), DJ Wagner (21), Trevon Brazile (4) against the Troy Trojans. The Razorbacks won 65-49. / Nilsen Roman - Hogs on SI Images
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Winning ugly has been the early recipe for Arkansas basketball, and that was the case again in Friday's 79-67 victory over Little Rock at Bud Walton Arena.

In all four of Arkansas' home wins to start the season, the Razorbacks have shown flashes of Final Four potential blended with the cold-water splash of reality that this team still has a long way to go in the consistency department.

"We’re a team that’s a work-in-progress," coach John Calipari said . "There are times I look at us and say, ‘Wow. We’re as good as anybody.’ Then there’s other times I look at us and I say, ‘Wow, we’re as bad as anybody.’ So it just tells you we can be something."

The most recent sample size on Friday against Little Rock was a prime example of Calipari's point.

Arkansas played arguably its best half of basketball on both ends of the floor with crisp ball movement, good shot selection and disruptive, suffocating defense to sprint out to a 42-24 halftime lead.

After the break, the offense grew stagnant, shots stopped falling, turnovers piled up and the defensive intensity dropped off noticeably as the Trojans clawed back within as close as seven before the Razorbacks tightened up enough to get things back under control.

It is impossible not to notice other SEC and ranked programs turn games that should be blowouts into blowouts as Arkansas becomes increasingly prone to playing with its food, but such is the reality for the Razorbacks in the early goings of a long season.

"Thank goodness it's November," Calipari said. "You have a chance to put somebody away, and you mess around. So at half, instead of being up bigger and bigger, we're up 18.

"The first five minutes of the (2nd) half set the tone for the rest of the game. First five minutes. First play, what did we do? Gave them a lay-up under the basket. You know how we guarded the first half. What happened?"

It is early, no question, but not putting inferior opponents away has become a theme for Arkansas. While it has never really felt like the Razorbacks have been in jeopardy of a complete collapse, the warning signs are there for when the competition increases in the very near future.

A 15-point second-half lead in the opener against Lipscomb was cut to four before Arkansas pulled away with a decisive run late.

The Razorbacks trailed Troy by three early in the second half before flipping the switch and taking control. Pacific closed the gap to as little as two points with 13 minutes to play to serve as a wake-up call for Arkansas to re-establish order earlier in the week.

To a degree, a rollercoaster is to be expected out of the gates for a program with a new coach, new staff and entirely new roster learning to play together, although many of Arkansas' peers are currently in similar situations with different results.

John Calipari talks to Adou Thiero during second half against Little Rock
Nov 22, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks to forward Adou Thiero (3) during the second half against the Little Rock Trojans at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 79-67. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In a roundabout way, the controlled adversity is a good thing for Arkansas as Calipari continues to learn about his team on a nightly basis.

"Because is became a close game, it ends up being good for us," Calipari said. "Who's making plays? Who do you have to get out of the game? Who do you have in the game? What do you try to do to score?"

Depth, or a lack thereof, has played a role in Arkansas' inability to keep the foot on the gas from start to finish as the team continues to operate with a razor-thin rotation with front-court duo Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo out with injuries.

Fatigue was evident at times in the second half against Little Rock, but as junior forward Adou Thiero pointed out postgame, it is just something the Razorbacks have to overcome until they are back to full strength.

"I'm not trying to use this as an excuse, but we've got like seven people who play right now," Thiero said. "We're waiting on our two bigs to come back. I know me, myself, I'll be a little tired out there, still trying to push through, but we've just got to keep grinding. We'll figure it out."

Arkansas' next opportunity to do exactly that comes after a short turnaround Monday night when the Razorbacks welcome Maryland Eastern-Shore to Fayetteville for a 7 p.m. tip at Bud Walton Arena.

HOGS FEED:

• Razorbacks use strong defense, timely shooting to put Trojans away

• Live Blog: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Little Rock Trojans

• High tech machine makes it easier for players to break out of shooting slumps, improve

• Arkansas Wary of Trojans' Disruptive Defense Tonight

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Curtis Wilkerson
CURTIS WILKERSON

Curtis is in his fifth year on the beat covering Arkansas basketball, football, baseball and recruiting. Prior to his time in Fayetteville, he spent eight years coaching basketball at the small-college level in Illinois and spent two years contributing as a scout and recruiting analyst with Prep Hoops. He holds a bachelor's degree in Athletic Training and a master's in Administration.

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