Razorbacks Prepare for Post Season Run

The Razorbacks needed to win their last regular season game
along with a couple of SEC tournament games to have a chance at an at-large bid
to the NCAA Tournament. Their 77-69 loss to Texas A&M all but eliminated
whatever tournament hopes they had left. Their only remaining chance is to be
competing for the SEC Championship game next Sunday, and even then, a loss in
the finals might not be enough.

Razorbacks Last Chance

In order to solidify their place in the big dance, the
Razorbacks will likely have to win five games in five days as they now sit as
the 11^th seed in the SEC. Anything less leaves them with a good
chance of landing in the NIT. However, despite being the 11^th seed,
the Hogs may have one of the more favorable routes to the at least the semifinals
of the SEC Tourney. They’ll open up postseason play on Wednesday night against
the last place Vanderbilt Commodores. Then, assuming a victory, they would face
South Carolina on Thursday night. No game is a given in conference play, but
both of these games seem very winnable for the Hogs.

If the Hogs manage to win two games in two days, they’re reward
is a rematch with LSU. Of the top four seeds in the conference, LSU should be
the Hogs preferred matchup, considering the Tigers are the only one of the top
four teams that the Razorbacks have beaten. Once again, this game is not
already won by any means, but it does bode well for Arkansas to not face
Kentucky or Florida until either the semifinals or finals. Could three straight
games in the conference tournament be enough to drag the Hogs over the bubble?
I personally don’t think so, but it would make selection Sunday much more
interesting if Arkansas came in with 22 wins on the season.

Razorbacks Recap

Regardless of where the team ends up in the next few weeks,
the fans had something to cheer for this season. In a transition year between
coaches and minimal depth available to the roster, even a chance at the big tournament
is something to be proud of. In fact, there are several things that Hogs can
hang their hats on this season.

Pre Isaiah Joe Injury

Predicted to finish 11^th in the SEC, the Hogs
came out of the gates ready to shock the world. The rattled off 12 of their
first 13 games, including the first eight in a row. Mason Jones’s playmaking,
Isaiah Joe’s sharp shooting, and Jimmy Whitt’s midrange game provided a
formidable backcourt for opponents to try to defend. The Hogs rolled passed
everyone in non-conference play aside from a Western Kentucky squad that
included potential future lottery big man, Charles Bassey. They stumbled
against LSU, losing by only two points in a game that saw more offensive
rebounds for LSU than total rebounds for Arkansas. Then again against power
house Kentucky on their home court in front of one of the best crowds in Bud
Walton’s history. That makes three losses through 17 games, something no one
saw coming aside from the Razorbacks themselves.

Then came the Mississippi State game in which Isaiah Joe re-aggravated
a knee injury he had suffered against Ole Miss three games prior. Reggie Perry
dominated the Razorbacks big men on his home court, and Arkansas’s star guard
trio was unable to answer. Joe would miss one non-conference matchup against TCU,
only to return and hit five three pointers in a loss to South Carolina. Then,
in the road win against Alabama, it became apparent that his injury could be
ignored no longer. He played next to no minutes in the second half of this
game, largely in part to his inability to keep up defensively. He would have
surgery after his 0/3 outing against Bama, leading to a five game stretch of
being sidelined in his recovery. The Hogs went 0-5 in this stretch, and
ultimately lost any momentum they had built, including their tournament berth.

Mason Jones: Scoring Machine

For the first time in school history, a Razorback led the
SEC in points per game. He also became the third player to ever win the SEC
player of the week award four times, and he scored 30 or more point nine
different times this season. His name is recognized state-wide: Mason Jones.
Jones has the potential to be one of the most controversial runner-ups in SEC
Player of the Year history if he does not win it. His individual stats speak
for themselves, but his team’s record could likely be his downfall in not
winning the “best player” award.

Regardless of hardware, Jones turned in a season for the
ages. He led the nation in free throws taken and made, the conference in
scoring, and his team in four of the five major stat categories: points, assists,
rebounds, and steals. He has cemented his name in Razorback history as one of
the greatest scoring Hogs of all time. The best part about it all, he still has
a decision to make about whether or not he’ll be wearing the cardinal and white
again next season.

Coach Eric Musselman

After eight years of hovering just above average with Mike
Anderson, the University of Arkansas decided to make a coaching change. A
coaching search led to the hire of former Nevada head coach, Eric Musselman.
One of Coach Muss’s biggest pluses is his experience at all levels of the game.
He has been a head coach in college, a head coach in the NBA G-League, an
assistant coach in the NBA, and a head coach in the NBA. He has seen what it
takes to make it at every level and knows how to help his players get there.
Further than that, he knows how to adapt to the talent he has and win with the
cards he’s been dealt.

Recruiting

Does this benefit his current players? Absolutely. But that’s
not where his experience has the largest impact. Recruits have shown a high
interest in playing for a coach that knows how to further advance their career.
This is glaringly obvious in his first ever recruiting class at Arkansas. On
deck for the Hogs is a Top 5 recruiting class that includes four ESPN Top 100
players. This includes Top 40 prospect and project NBA first round draft pick,
Moses Moody.

Coaching

Musselman’s coaching ability was not questioned until his
star shooting guard went down with an injury for two and a half weeks. The Hogs
five game losing streak rightfully raised some eyebrows. However, the blame
cannot be placed entirely on Coach Muss’s shoulders. He was given a limited
roster to begin with and still managed to start the season 16-5 before losing
one of his stars. There truthfully should not be any “blame” placed on anyone.
Injuries happen, and this one affected the team drastically.

Without Joe’s floor spacing, opponents’ sagging help defense
was able to all but shut down Jimmy Whitt through much of the losing streak.
Desi Sills became a bright spot, but his inconsistency was not enough to make
up for Joe’s absence. More detrimental than anything, opposing coaches were
able to focus 90% of their gameplan on stopping Mason Jones. This took its toll
on the super star despite still scoring 40 and 38 in two of the five straight
losses.

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