FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – John Calipari said Thursday morning that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bahamas National Team beat Arkansas on Thursday evening, but the Razorbacks ran away with a 106-59 victory in the Hogs’ first game of the Baha Mar summer league.
There were plenty of things to be impressed by, especially a team that prioritizes defense over everything else.
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Razorback defense scrappy, opportunistic
It was evident from the opening tip that the Razorbacks are a quick, opportunistic team that is determined to get every 50/50 ball.
Not only did Arkansas swarm the Bahamas National Team defensively, but when the Hogs forced turnovers, they got out and ran in transition.
Arkansas had 23 fast break points in the first half alone, which outpaced the entirety of the Bahamas National Team after the first 20 minutes. The Razorbacks forced 26 turnovers and had 37 points off those turnovers and 42 in transition when the final buzzer sounded.
Arkansas was quick to rotate on defense and gave the Bahamas no easy baskets. In fact, the Bahamas National Team didn’t even make their first field goal until the 14:15 mark of the first half. They shot just 8-33 from the floor in the first half.
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Most importantly, Arkansas’ interior defense was disruptive. The Bahamas made only five of 13 layup attempts in the first half, while the Razorbacks blocked six shots in the first 20 minutes alone. Three of those denials came from Abdou Toure, while Maper Maker, Jordan Smith Jr. and Cooper Bowser also tallied blocks.
Even in the second half when the game was separated by 40 points, the Razorbacks – in particular Jordan Smith Jr. – were still getting after it on defense and talking a little smack in between possessions.
Substitutions come en masse
Calipari touted his team’s depth on Monday, and it was on full display on Thursday evening.
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Even with Miikka Murrinnen unable to play due to not yet being declared eligible by the NCAA, Arkansas put 10 players on the floor on Thursday evening. Four new players entered the game at the 15:13 mark of the first half, with Toure, Caleb Ourigou, Maper Maker and Davion Thompson coming in for the first time.
Arkansas’ substitution patterns on Thursday aren’t indicative of what they’ll do once the regular season starts, but the depth of the Razorbacks that has been highlighted throughout the summer was pertinent in their first exhibition game.
Jeremiah Wilkinson left the game in the first half after being fouled and taking a hard fall in transition. While he did not appear to be seriously injured, he did not play in the second half and is under evaluation.
Arkansas Razorbacks small forward Billy Richmond III drives to the basket in first half against Bahamas National Team. | Razorback Basketball, X
Hogs didn’t shoot lights out, put together solid offensive night
Unsurprisingly, there was some rust for the Razorbacks when it came to shooting. Arkansas shot 49 percent (41-83) from the field but only 6-20 from beyond the arc. Smith struggled to find his shot, as he went only 1-5 from three and 7-22 from the field, but still put up 22 points in his first unofficial game in a Razorback uniform.
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Thompson only shot 5-15 from the field but went 3-7 from three, while Billy Richmond went 8-12 from the field but missed all three triples he attempted.
Smith’s 22 led Arkansas in scoring, while Thompson (17), Toure (16) and JJ Andrews (16) all got into double figures. Eleven of the 12 players that saw the floor for Arkansas scored.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Three Takeaways From Arkansas’ 106-59 Drubbing Vs The Bahamas National Team.
