<LINK_TEXT text=“http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2017 … anderbilt/”>http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2017/mar/11/5-observations-arkansas-76-62-win-over-vanderbilt/</LINK_TEXT>
Great story Jimmy!
Jimmy, thanks again for an awesome write-up.
I love this format and I love the work you do. I look for this story after every game.
Thanks for all you bring to the table. It makes the site much better.
the stats/vids don’t lie. Great work.
Maybe it was by design, I don’t know, but I saw the Hogs return some to the “double team in the open floor” defense again against Vandy, which led to several open looks for 3. Fortunately, they weren’t able to connect, probably due to tired legs, because if they would have gone in, this game would have been totally different. We can’t do that against KY or they will make us pay.
Gosh, to your point about production from the 4 spot, how I would love to see a 4 guard lineup for most of the game against KY, with Manny getting the bulk of those extra minutes to defend their 4, as he has good strength and size. Heck, Barford does fine against a 4. Regardless, the benefit on the offensive side of the floor would pay off so handsomely, IMO.
Ditto that on Jimmy’s write ups. Makes reading almost all other articles on a game redundant. Very thorough and honest … good or bad! Reading Jimmy’s write ups is all you need to know about a Razorback basketball or football game. Best sports writer on ADG staff!! Thanks for sharing your insight Jimmy. You keep us grounded form getting overly high or low about a game performance.
I’ve been swamped today and just now saw these posts. I appreciate it, guys. Busy time of year, but hard to complain about getting to watch a lot of basketball.
They did blitz the pick-and-roll a few times, which they hadn’t done very often in a while. I imagine it was designed to speed Vandy up/get into their legs like some of the other stuff they did, but you’re right, they were fortunate to not get hurt by the open 3s. This team just doesn’t have the length/defensive ability to force enough turnovers to consistently make blitzing worthwhile.
They’ve had some success with small-ball looks, but Mike is trending toward giving Trey the minutes next to Moses that Manny sometimes got as a pseudo 4. Manny and Jaylen can both hold up against most 4s. Most college bigs aren’t that efficient posting up, so you almost encourage them to try to force it inside against them, shade a guy over and maybe force a turnover or a low-percentage shot. Defensive rebounding is the key. They haven’t always done a great job of that in small-ball groups, but haven’t been awful.