Arkansas came away with an encouraging 76-72 exhibition win over Gonzaga on Saturday, but the tape still gave John Calipari plenty to chew on.
The Razorbacks get one more tune-up Wednesday when Memphis visits Fayetteville. The Tigers opened their exhibition slate by beating Mississippi State 75-58 in Starkville on Friday, and Arkansas will be trying to avoid handing Memphis a second road win over an SEC team in exhibition play before the Hogs open the season against UAPB on Nov. 3.
The cleanest way to explain where Arkansas has work to do? Start at the foul line.
The Razorbacks drew plenty of contact, but they only shot 17-30 from the stripe, a rough 56.7 percent. That kind of number doesn’t just look ugly on the stat sheet - it makes a close game far more stressful than it needs to be.
Miikka Muurinen finished 1-3, Billy Richmond went 6-10, JJ Andrews was 2-4 and Maper Maker hit 1-3. Even Jordan Smith Jr., who didn’t make a field goal, went 1-2.
Davion Thompson was perfect at 2-2, and Abdou Toure finished 3-4.
Arkansas did the hard part by getting to the line. The problem was finishing the job.
The same issue showed up around the rim, where the Razorbacks had a strangely rough day converting layups. They went just 5-16 on layups, even while shooting an impressive 11-24 from three-point range.
Billy Richmond had several misses at the basket in the first half, and Cooper Bowser, Davion Thompson and Jeremiah Wilkinson also left points on the table with missed layups. In October, missing a few tough finishes isn’t the end of the world.
It becomes a bigger issue when those looks are there and the ball just won’t drop.
"They're big, and you know, I thought there were times on four or five of our turnovers where we drove into seven-footers," Calipari said. "He's there.
Don't keep going. I'm going to get this off.
You're not getting it off. It's going to [be] a block.
They ended up with four, but we ended up with six. And one of the things I told you, they cleared us out some.
We got to do some work on that."
Rebounding was better than the free throw shooting and the finishing, but it still wasn’t clean enough. Gonzaga won the battle on the glass 52-48 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to Arkansas’ 17. The Zags also got to a handful of loose balls after missed shots that Arkansas couldn’t secure, and there were a couple of possessions where the Razorbacks simply didn’t box out well enough.
Those are the kinds of details that matter when the competition ramps up. Against Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona, Arkansas will need to be sharper in every one of those areas.
In Other News...
JJ Andrews Gave Arkansas Fans More Than Just Scoring To Love
An exhibition game at Bud Walton Arena gave Arkansas fans an early glimpse of what JJ Andrews can bring beyond the scoring column. The freshman wing finished with 10 points and nine rebounds in the Razorbacks 76-72 win over Gonzaga, and his impact grew as the game wore on.
Andrews did much of his best work in the second half, when Arkansas was trying to erase an early deficit and steady itself against a seasoned opponent. With the Razorbacks getting key runs and contributions from multiple players, his activity on the glass and willingness to do the dirty work stood out as another reason the crowd had plenty to like about what it saw. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Looked Real Against Gonzaga But One Rotation Battle Is Brewing
Arkansas 76-72 exhibition win over Gonzaga offered an early look at a roster that already has plenty of length, athleticism and shot creation. The freshmen made their presence felt, with Billy Richmond leading the way with 17 points, while the Razorbacks also got enough from the rest of the rotation to hang on against a veteran-level opponent in a game that should leave them feeling encouraged about their depth.
One of the more interesting questions coming out of the night is how the minutes will sort out in the backcourt and on the wing. Jordan Smith, one of the highest-ranked newcomers, had a rough offensive showing in going 0-for-9 from the field and finishing with one point, while Jeremiah Wilkinson saw limited action in the second half after scoring seven points overall. For a team with as much talent as Arkansas has assembled, the next step is figuring out which young pieces will force their way into a larger role once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas May Have Found A Frontcourt Answer After Gonzaga Test
Arkansas came out of its 76-72 win over No. 15 Gonzaga with more than a quality nonconference result. The Razorbacks may also have a clearer picture of how to steady the frontcourt after a rugged test, and senior transfer center Cooper Bowser was right in the middle of it. In 20 minutes, he put up nine points, 10 rebounds, a block and an assist while helping Arkansas absorb the kind of physical pressure Gonzaga brought around the basket.
John Calipari had reason to single out Bowser afterward, especially with Arkansas working through adjustments as the game unfolded. Freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. didnt have his shot going, but he still found ways to contribute, and the Hogs needed every bit of that balanced effort as they battled to finish near the rim against Gonzagas defense. For a team trying to sort out its interior rotation, Bowsers showing offered a promising hint of stability. [Read more 🡒]