Two days ago I said the “need more shooters” narrative is overblown. Tonight was yet another example that I was right. We scored 81 points and shot 50% from the field and made more 3s than A&M.
Also, I said that TOs and FT disparity is what had cost us in recent losses. And the TOs almost cost us tonight. Going forward, TOs and FT disparity is the key. Like I said.
I enjoyed watching them play again tonight – at home. They do manage to make enough shots at home. Not on the road. You gotta make jump shots on the road.
With Nick Smith at PG, that changes your turnovers more than a little bit. There is a lot of yack yack from the TV guys about how good a PG that Black is, he’s a great passer, really good defense but his dribble is loose at times and because he’s pressing so hard he gets too deep with nowhere to go with the ball too often. The combination NS and AB would be deadly as we saw early.
Devo is incredible defensively and has gotten a LOT better playing PG the last games but he’s not a natural PG. Still turning it over too much. They are asking a lot from him handling the ball as much as he has.
FT disparity is as much everyone playing a zone against us and us not being able to reliably score from the perimeter. I remember the days when I LOVED watching teams try to play a zone against us and about 3 consecutive 3s would bring them right out of that zone.
Offensive rebounds tonight were an achilles heal but that may have been as much us over committing to the block and then being out of position to rebound as anything. Our interior defense really won the game tonight, especially late when they(A&M) couldn’t score when they had to.
My biggest frustration is that we cannot score when they slow the game down to try and milk the clock. We’ve got to figure out the missing movement without the ball in the last 10 seconds of the shot clock.
Good game tonight, last 4 minutes was very encouraging. They must figure out how to consistently win after that last TV timeout. That’s where they’ve struggled.
Joe Lunardi has our Hogs as a 10 seed currently which isn’t a very good seed to make a deep run because if you beat the 7 seed in round one then you likely play a 2 seed in the second round.
Lot of games left if they can somehow win out at home and figure out how to win a couple on the road they might be able to move up a couple of seeding spots.
However, if they drop any of their remaining home games and don’t win a couple of road games they may find themselves on bubble watch come selection Sunday.
If they could shoot 3s it would all clean up. Defenses would not collapse. They do not space and when they do no one wants to pull the trigger. Nick can shoot. I figure he’s coming back. Hopefully he’s been shooting lots of threes during rehab.
Alabama has made over 100 more 3s than Arkansas ahead of tonight. Hogs are 11th in 3 point percentage but easily last in 3s made.
Muss doing a great job with what he’s got. Both Nick and Trevon can handle the ball and shoot 3s.
The practice I watched in early November was geared towards those two getting most touches. I watched them all shoot in 3 point drills. Those two and Pinion were the best. No one else close.
Oh well. We all get it.
This team really overpasses the ball (at times) more than any other I can remember. We frequently turn down a good shot to pass it and settle for a worse shot, often because the shot clock’s about to expire.
That’s an excellent point. Give up shots in the paint to pass it outside. And we all know we can’t hit 3’s.
Kjog. excellent analysis on the reason for the disparity in the fouls from this year to last. The zone defense reduces the fouling, but, of course, as you point out, could be susceptible to the deep shot. Therefore, we are going to have to continue to play our good defense, hopefully with a little less fouling; make 40% of the threes; that will force the teams out of the zone so we can start drawing the fouls as we have in the past two years.
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