Everything was set up for Arkansas to earn a huge road win, and the Hogs went and did it, dominating the second half in an 88-73 win over Kentucky. It’s the Hogs’ third straight win over Kentucky and second straight in Rupp. Eric Musselman is now 3-1 against the Wildcats.
Ricky Council IV had 20 points, while Anthony Black had 19 points plus some great passing and great defense. The Mitchell twins were excellent, combining for 19 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks, all while playing tremendous defense on Kentucky star Oscar Tshiebwe.
Team Stats
Just 67 possessions in this game. We noted in the preview that Arkansas would have a major advantage in a slower-paced, halfcourt game, because Kentucky is bad both offensively and defensively in halfcourt:
Kentucky’s offense is extremely dangerous in transition. They get moving very quickly after clearing a defensive board and will try and create a fast break if the defense doesn’t get back. When forced into the halfcourt, they have their fair share of struggles this season.
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Kentucky’s defensive philosophy is simple enough: make the offense earn it. The Wildcats are very good at getting back on defense and preventing transition possessions. The problem? Opponents have been earning it. Kentucky ranks just 150th in halfcourt defensive efficiency.
The Hogs should be pretty content to play this game. Arkansas has had major issues getting in transition in SEC play, falling to 160th in transition percentage and 118th in transition scoring rate (that’s transition points per 100 possessions). But they are at least passable in the halfcourt, and given Kentucky’s halfcourt defense, have a big advantage if neither team runs.
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Get back on defense. The Wildcat offense is most dangerous in transition. If the Hogs can make them play a halfcourt game, then the advantage swings strongly in the Hogs’ favor.
Sure enough, Arkansas took its time offensively (18.2 seconds per possession) and was rewarded with 66 points on an excellent 122.2 efficiency in halfcourt. Kentucky tried hard to run (26% transition percentage) but only won the transition scoring battle 23-22.
My goodness, those shooting numbers. The Wildcats generated more shot chances thanks to their specialty, offensive rebounding, but Arkansas scored 1.42 points per shot chance (71% true shooting). You’re not going to lose when you shoot that well.
We sort of thought this was coming. Again, from the preview:
That rim defense (125th share, 195th FG%) is somewhat eye-popping. Kentucky lacks a rim protector (Tshiebwe doesn’t really block shots), and their guards aren’t much help if they get caught having to defend under the basket.
Arkansas took half their shots at the rim and made 79% of them. Despite Calipari’s hatred of zones, the Wildcats did show Arkansas some zone looks, but they didn’t have much effect. When a point guard is playing like this, it really doesn’t matter what defense you run:
Black looked like every bit of a 5-star lottery pick in this game. In addition to his scoring, he made some great passes and played tremendous defense.
Individual Stats
Check out that 33% usage for Black. That’s his highest in SEC play and his highest since Maui. He had a chance for a takeover game and he jumped on it. The Hogs were -4 in the two minutes he was out with a busted shoe and +19 with him on the floor.
This was a good Twitter thread of some of Black’s good plays:
For Kentucky, yikes, Oscar Tshiebwe. Just 11% usage. He only had one turnover and rebounded well, but the Wildcats simply could not get him the ball. One of Tshiebwe’s weaknesses this season is that Kentucky is not able to get him deep paint touches, so he ends up receiving the ball too far out to do anything with it:
This is good, physical fronting from Makhel, who did that all game long. Also note the dig by Walsh that forces Tshiebwe to pick up his dribble. Arkansas did that all game. You can see a clip of Black doing the same thing to Tshiebwe in the thread above.
Being able to force an opponent away from the rim is, needless to say, a gamechanger for Arkansas, which has struggled to keep opponents away from the rim. The Hogs still gave up a lot of good shots, but this was a solid defensive effort overall.
Up Next
Mississippi State visits Fayetteville on Saturday as the big games continue for the Hogs. The Razorbacks face off against Chris Jans, who last faced Arkansas as New Mexico State’s head coach in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
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