It was very ugly, but a win is a win. Arkansas’ 65-63 win at South Carolina is the Hogs’ first true road win of the year and fourth straight SEC win, getting the Hogs back to 5-5 in conference play. And while the Hogs plummeted 12 spots in our overall team rankings after the win (21st to 33rd), that will quickly be forgotten if the positive momentum of the victory carries on.
Arkansas controlled this game throughout, leading by as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but the final nine or so minutes were a rollercoaster. The Hogs lost the lead and trailed by one on a few occasions in the final couple of minutes (59-58, 61-60, 63-62) before finally getting a couple of stops to win the game. Jalen Graham had 16 points, but both he and Jordan Walsh had a tough time on defense when the Hogs were trying to close the Gamecocks out. South Carolina center Josh Gray had 20 points and 14 rebounds (he averages 4 points and 5 boards per game) to keep Carolina alive.
Team Stats
Ugly! At only 62 possessions, this was one of the slowest games of the season for the Hogs. They managed to win this game by being slightly better in transition (16-11). South Carolina possesses the SEC’s worst offense and worst defense, so this is very bad on both sides of the ball. Giving up 63 points seems good, but pace can be deceiving: giving up 63 points in 62 possessions is not good at all for a defense as talented as Arkansas’ offense (and an offense as un-talented as South Carolina’s).
Arkansas’ offense numbers aren’t terrible. They’re just bad against the 307th-ranked defense. The Hogs shot well at the rim (71%) and from midrange (43%), and weren’t just horrible from beyond the arc (40%, they’ve been much worse). They did a good job of crashing the offensive boards (34% offensive rebound rate). They turned it over way too much given the opponent (18%), but not horribly. The only thing they didn’t do well was get to the line, and to be fair, the Gamecocks are at least decent at not fouling. The lack of fouls were pretty consistent during this game: the Gamecocks didn’t get to the line either and no one was in foul trouble for either side.
Defensively, the Hogs defended really well inside the arc (52% rim FG%, 20% midrange FG%) without fouling. But that’s about all they did well. The Gamecocks shot well from beyond the arc (55%) and generated a ton of shots because the Hogs struggled to force turnovers and clear defensive boards. That’s a been a theme in losses this year. The Hogs just aren’t a good turnover-forcing team, which is extremely concerning.
Individual Stats
A few notes:
- Two-man show for Carolina. Gray hurt the Hogs with offensive rebounding and scoring around the rim, while Meechie Johnson caught fire from 3, hitting his first five attempts of the second half. Note that the Gamecocks were +7 with Johnson on the floor and +8 with GG Jackson on the floor, losing the game during those seven minutes were each rode the bench. Johnson is capable of doing that, but Gray should not have been allowed to have that good of a game.
- Mitchell twins: not as good against the zone. After an amazing birthday bash game against Texas A&M, the Mitchells struggled against the Gamecocks. Makhel was good defensively again, playing a key role in Arkansas’ strong defense around the rim in this one. But his offense is… offensive. He missed up a couple of easy pick-and-rolls and an attempted baseline jumper was not even close. The Hogs put him in during Carolina’s comeback because Graham was getting killed by Gray, and while he stopped the bleeding there, the Hogs went on a nearly seven-minute scoring drought with Makhel at center. Makhi only played five minutes, which is a little surprising, as he’s a bit more talented offensively, even if he’s worse on defense.
- Graham: good against the zone. Graham having another good game against the zone is not surprising. He does a nice job getting good position and then showing off finesse moves around the rim. He does not rely on fouls to score and can create his own shot, which makes him invaluable for scoring around the rim. He’s always struggled on defense against low-post maulers like Gray, but if he could just be slightly better in that department, he’d play a lot more when the Hogs see zone.
Up Next
The Hogs are on the road again on Tuesday, facing Kentucky in Rupp. It’s not a must-win, but the Hogs have to at least 1-1 this week against the Wildcats and Mississippi State in Bud Walton on Saturday. Kentucky is extremely beatable this year, even though they have won six straight SEC games.
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