Razorbacks Find Missing Piece, Snap Losing Streak

Razorbacks Star Makes his Return

Joe’s Widespread Impact

By a score of 78-68, the Razorbacks put themselves back in
the win column. Clearly, Isaiah Joe was a huge factor in turning the team’s
fortunes around, but his impact was felt in more ways than one. Joe’s return
allowed the Hogs to play pretty basketball, much like they did early in the
season. His five made threes stand out on the stat sheet as a huge factor in
the win, but let’s take a look at some other, less noticeable ways that Joe’s
return helped the Hogs win.

Defense

An underrated aspect of Joe’s game is his ability to take
charges. A charge fires up a team like few plays in basketball can, and Joe still leads the team in charges taken
even after missing six total games this season. This unusual skill combined with
his 6’5 frame playing the passing lanes makes the teams’ defense better when he’s
healthy. When Joe was hobbled, he was a liability on defense, but with Joe
playing his usual 37 minutes against Mizzou, it seems that his knee is
recovered enough for him to be a positive defensive addition again.

Mason Jones

Jones has been carrying the weight of nearly the entire team
for much of the season. Joe’s absence with injury did nothing to ease Jones’s
pressure. He scored, rebounded, and assisted night in and night out, doing
everything he could to keep his team afloat without his running mate in Joe.
This came to be evident as Jones writhed on the ground in pain due to leg
cramps late in the teams’ most recent loss. With Joe back on the court, Jones
was not leaned on nearly as much to score all of the teams’ points. He still
had a respectable 12 points, but Jones got some much needed weight lifted off
his shoulders.

Desi Sills

Sills has been a welcome addition at times, but has
struggled mightily at others. He is fourth on the team in scoring at exactly 10
points per game after his 17 point outing off the bench against Mizzou. Joe’s
presence forces the defense to space the floor more than ever, allowing Sills
to play the aggressive brand of basketball he loves.

However, Joe’s return affects Sills in a different less
notable way. Last season, as a freshman, Sills came off the bench for the
majority of the season and excelled in his 6^th Man role. This
season, especially during Joe’s absence, Sills has been asked to start most of
the Hogs’ games. While I’m sure neither the team nor the fans have issue with
Sills being on the court, he seems to shoot the ball dramatically better when
he comes off the bench versus when he starts. This was evident as he came off
the bench to score his third highest point total of the season, along with a
season high in 3Ps made and 3P%.

Jimmy Whitt

Joe’s return affected no one more positively than Jimmy “Midrange”
Whitt. Whitt’s inability to shoot the long ball and space the floor forces him
to play much of his game inside the three point line. Without Joe’s floor
spacing, defenses have been able to face guard Mason Jones and sag off of
everyone else. This has clogged the lane so much that Whitt couldn’t hit his
midrange shots that he’s famous for among Hog fans. Joe’s return allowed Whitt
to shot 50% from the floor, his highest since the Hogs’ last win against
Alabama.

Razorbacks Tournament Hopes

It has been made clear by multiple tournament experts that
player injuries will be taken into consideration come selection Sunday. This is
especially the case when the player returns from injury to greatly improve his
team. Isaiah Joe led the Razorbacks to their first home win in four weeks in
his first game back. With four games left in the season, the Hogs’ tournament
hopes are slim, but not dead yet. If they can rattle off four wins in their
last five games, and continue their success for a couple rounds in the SEC
tournament, keep an eye on those last few at-large bids. The Razorbacks have
the opportunity to make a strong case for a bid, but they control their own
fate.

Razorbacks Road Ahead

Tennessee – 15-12 (7-7)

@ Georgia – 14-13 (4-10)

LSU – 19-8 (10-4)

@ Texas A&M – 14-14 (8-6)

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