The Razorbacks are 1-0 after a breezy 93-59 win over Alcorn. All available players played, and only four guys topped 20 minutes, so it was great to see the entire eligible roster in action. The best news is that there were no apparent injuries, so the Hogs remain full-strength as they march through the early-season tuneups.
The result may not be too memorable, but it was pretty cool for me because it was my daughter’s first-ever Razorback game.
Advanced Stats
Arkansas led throughout and were never threatened. Three long first-half droughts (plus another in the second half) were where this game got out of hand.
We’re debuting some slightly new visuals in this post. Hopefully the numbers are easier to read and understand. All feedback is appreciated.
This one was obviously over by halftime, when the Hogs held a 46-22 lead, and there was significant let-up in the second half, especially on defense. As we expected, this was a reasonably fast game, totaling 75 possessions. Arkansas averaged just 14.7 seconds per offensive possession, which is good, since last year was their slowest-paced team under Eric Musselman, at around 17 seconds per possession.
It is nice to see the Hogs be ultra-efficient in the halfcourt, scoring 71 points on 58 halfcourt possessions. Alcorn’s high-pressure defense sort of invites teams to run, but little is gained by beating a SWAC team up and down the floor for 40 minutes.
I love these shooting splits. Spacing was a major issue last year, which forced the Hogs into a lot of contested midrange jumpers, but against Alcorn they had no trouble getting good shots. Only 11% of attempts were from midrange. The Hogs launched a ton of 3-pointers, hit them at a pretty good clip, and were excellent at finishing around the rim. More 3-point attempts also means more long rebounds, so the Hogs collected half of their missed shots. Good spacing also leads to open driving lanes, benefitting guys like Khalif Battle who can draw contact around the rim, so the Hogs took plenty of free throws.
The Hogs’ turnover rate was slightly high, but if there’s anything Alcorn does well, it’s force turnovers, so that’s not a concern yet.
Defensively, it was typical Musselman defense. The Hogs smothered the perimeter and limited Alcorn’s total shot opportunities. The Braves probably have the weakest offense Arkansas will face this year, so there’s not much to learn from this.
Game balls for Battle and Tramon Mark, who led the Hogs in game score (a simple stat that measures total net box score contributions). Here are a few takeaways:
- Battle’s 39% usage is monstrous. He’s going to be a volume guy off the bench, sort of like JD Notae back in his first year in 2021. He’s a true 3-level scorer who can go get his own shot from anywhere. He’s going to benefit immensely from Arkansas’ spacing.
- It was good to see Devo Davis in a comfortable role. He led the team in minutes and was +25, but he posted just a 10% usage, the lowest of any (scholarship) player who played. He stuffed the stat sheet (5 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal) and didn’t turn it over. He had to be much more active on offense last year, but he can hopefully go back to being a true glue guy this year.
- This was a great start for Jalen Graham, who looked really crisp. He snagged 8 rebounds in 14 minutes. He also had zero turnovers, and that was a bugaboo last year. He’s another guy who will benefit from the improved spacing.
- He’s not on here because he didn’t crack the top 9 for minutes, but I mostly liked what I saw from Baye Fall. He’s got a long way to go developmentally, but he blocked two shots and spent a lot of time around the ball. Fellow freshman Layden Blocker had some strong defensive sequences and did a great job tipping the ball to himself on a fast-break alley-oop to Battle, but he fouled out in 10 minutes and played a bit over-eager at times.
Highlights
Up Next
The Hogs face Gardner-Webb at home on Friday. The Runnin’ Bulldogs are 1-0 after a 98-58 win over Division II Erskine College. They went 15-16 last year, so they’re probably one of the weaker teams the Hogs will face this season, though probably a bit better than Alcorn. The Hogs beat them 86-69 back in 2022.
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