Observations, with video, as Arkansas had its five-game winning streak snapped at No. 12 Florida.
— Defending good guards
It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point.
Arkansas does not defend well against good guards. More specifically, Arkansas does not defend the pick-and-roll well against quick guards when it is in a man defense.
Wednesday was a reminder of that reality.
The loss itself isn't a cause for concern. Arkansas is, by all accounts, a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament. The game was essentially a free shot for the Hogs to improve seeding and earn a marquee road win against a more-talented team.
But the same old defensive issues were apparent against a talented team that will be in the tournament, which has to be troubling given that there’s a decent chance Arkansas will play a talented team with good guards when it actually gets to the tournament.
Arkansas started the game in its man defense, as it has done all season. All game, Florida got easy buckets off turnovers or was regularly able to run off Razorback misses for open looks against an unset defense, but it also carved up the Hogs when it had to play in the halfcourt.
Arkansas dropped its big men back against the pick-and-roll several times against Auburn, employing the tactic more than it had in any other game this year. It worked fairly well and eliminated the need for as much off-ball help, allowing the defense to better maintain integrity.
The scheme did not work well the handful of times the Hogs went to it Wednesday.
Kingsley drops back, but Hannahs gets hung up as he tries to go under the screen, allowing Allen to step into and nail an open 3-pointer. With Kingsley dropping, Hannahs needed to try to prevent the clean look by staying attached to Allen’s hip while fighting over the screen and then working his way back in front.
The communication needs to be better. Players have to be on the same page.
Correctly utilizing this scheme allows Kingsley to simultaneously serve as a deterrent for a drive while preventing the easy pass to his man, the screener, as he rolls. It is susceptible to a good pick-and-pop big, but the majority of players Kingsley guards aren’t good enough shooters for that to be a concern.
The majority of players Kingsley guards when he’s matched up against frontcourt guys, that is. Arkansas also switched a few pick-and-rolls early on in its man defense. Kingsley has shown an ability to pick the pockets of opposing guards on more than one occasion this year, but more often he winds up reaching or out of position while one of Arkansas’ guards, all 6-3 or shorter, wrestle in the paint with a big.
Allen makes short work of Kingsley here.
The Hogs hedged their bigs a few times against ball screens. But not much worked. Arkansas was down double-digits by the time it switched to a zone.
The Razorbacks stuck with the zone for a long stretch after that and played reasonably well. Both Auburn and Florida were able to generate open 3s against it, but it’s not like teams haven’t done the same against Arkansas’ man defense. It does help mask the Hogs' defensive shortcomings.
The zone allows Kingsley and Thompson to plant themselves in the paint, where they’re the most effective as rim protectors. The Hogs have also been more sound against ball screens against the zone.
Barford fights over the screen, something he generally excels at, preventing Allen from pulling up for 3. Kingsley is in position to thwart the drive. The rest of the defense is set and in good position. Allen doesn’t have any space loses the ball. Florida winds up getting free throws, but the Hogs defended the initial action well.
Florida’s point guard duo of Kasey Hill and Chris Chiozza are much, much quicker than any of the Hogs’ guards. The Razorbacks didn’t pressure Florida until late when the game was all but decided, a wise move considering the Gators’ athletic advantages.
He did that a few times. Hill is no slowpoke, either. Arkansas needs to hope it doesn't face a team with especially quick guards in the tournament. If it does, the Hogs may need to go zone early.
In the halfcourt, the zone was the more effective look Wednesday. Arkansas gave up 1.07 points per possession in its zone in halfcourt possessions. Not great, but better than the 1.33 it allowed in halfcourt man possessions. (Note: these are unofficial numbers, but should be very close).
Arkansas made the interesting decision to go back to its man defense a few times in the last 5 minutes, without much success.
That was shades of the first meeting, when Hill lived in the lane.
Overall, Florida posted an adjusted 114.7 offensive rating, the biggest mark the Hogs have allowed since the Feb. 7 loss to Vanderbilt.
Recently, Anderson has been quicker to ditch playing man if it isn’t working. It will be interesting to see if there comes a point that he decides to go zone the entire game, start to finish. A lot of it likely depends on the opposing team personnel.
The Hogs love mixing up defensive looks and keeping opposing offenses guessing. But how valuable is defensive versatility if a certain scheme bleeds points on a consistent basis?
Arkansas has proven it can dig its way out of holes, without doubt. But obviously that becomes more difficult against better competition.
The defensive scheme is the biggest question facing them as they get ready for tournament time.
— Stagnant offense takes toll
While Arkansas’ defense wasn’t great, it would have been anyone’s game in the closing minutes if the offense had a normal showing.
Instead, the Razorbacks struggled mightily on that end of the floor, posting an adjusted rating of 95.5, their worst showing of the season. Big picture, the defensive issues are a bigger deal because they’ve been fairly consistent. But the offense was probably more to blame for Wednesday’s loss.
Arkansas shot just 35.6 percent from the floor and had only 7 assists on 21 made baskets. The Razorbacks appeared to have trouble against Florida’s length and athleticism, converting just 7 of 17 layups, but their stagnation on that end of the court was also a killer.
Too often, the halfcourt offense bogged down and the Hogs spent large chunks of possessions swinging the ball around the perimeter without any real movement. This purely cosmetic passing didn’t do much to move the floor in a way that forced Florida to react. Off-ball screens weren’t always firm and the cuts weren’t always full throttle. The result was a number of tough, contested jumpers late in the clock.
These are back-to-back possessions, the second of which came after a timeout. On both, the ball doesn’t get inside the 3-point line until there are 5 seconds left on the shot clock. That makes it easy on the defense. Both possessions end in tough, forced misses.
Arkansas didn’t score any fast-break points in the first half, not necessarily surprising given that Florida shot 57 percent. Hard to run when a defense can’t get stops.
The Razorbacks finished with just 4 fast-break points, meaning they had to operate in the halfcourt most of the game. Their average possession time of 18 seconds was 3 ticks longer than their season average and would rank 254th in the nation.
Barford, Hannahs and Daryl Macon give the Hogs a trio of guards who can get hot and create their own offense. Their offensive skills allow Arkansas to get by without great movement on offense at times.
But that lack of movement was glaring against a long, athletic defense Wednesday night.
— Barford shows up
Jaylen Barford wasn’t efficient. He needed a career-high 18 shots to score a game-high 18 points.
But it’s hard to fault his effort. He was the only Razorback player in attack mode the entire game.
While his teammates were largely passive for much of the night, Barford was aggressive, playing with force and using his ability to get into the lane to put pressure on Florida’s defense.
He made just 6 of 18 shots, including only 5 of 13 from inside the arc. Sidenote: he went 1 of 5 from 3-point range and is now 1 for his last 13 after hitting 4 of 8 in the wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss. To be expected from a streaky shooter who has struggled from range most of the year.
He has been the least efficient guard in Arkansas’ rotation this year. Wednesday’s performance won’t do anything to change that, but his assertiveness against a team full of athletes is worth something.
He had 4 steals, another example of his motor running hot on a night when the Gators came out and hit Arkansas early.
Barford has been a different player the last month and change. He’s getting shots up and has stopped deferring.
Arkansas could use better ball and player movement, to be sure. Barford could be a little more selective with his bull-in-a-china-shop drives into the paint.
But his teammates could have used a dose of his attitude in Gainesville.
— Kingsley closes strong
Moses Kingsley blew an open layup, was beaten for an offensive rebound that led to a putback and badly missed on his first post-up attempt. All 3 plays occurred in the opening stage of the game and signs pointed toward a rough night for Kingsley.
And for more than a half, that was the case. He started just 2 of 8 from the floor, an extension of the 5 of 20 week against Ole Miss and Auburn he was coming off of.
But then he turned it around, making his last 4 shots and scoring 11 in the game’s final 15:16.
Kingsley finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds. He didn’t record a block for the first time since Jan. 10, but his performance on the offensive end in the latter stages of the game was encouraging. His touch around the basket has come and gone this year, but his effort was very present on Wednesday.
The Hogs have to hope the game signals the March arrival of a Kingsley worthy of SEC Preseason Player of the Year hoopla.
— Thompson, Thomas, Cook don’t produce
Kingsley got untracked in the second half. His three frontcourt running mates never did.
Dustin Thomas, Trey Thompson and Arlando Cook combined for a paltry 7 points (3 of 9 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers in 46 minutes.
Thompson’s quiet night is the most surprising. He played the best basketball of his life in February and came in to Gainesville averaging a gaudy 6.8 assists per 40 minutes in an expanded role the previous 4 games.
He didn’t have any assists and made just 1 of 3 shots while missing 2 free throws in 12 minutes. He played alongside Kingsley for brief stretches, but nothing like the last 4 games when he averaged 22 minutes.
Florida wasn’t the best matchup for him, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he bounced back. Thomas and Cook’s struggles weren’t necessarily a surprise. Both have been up-and-down all season.
Thomas had played well recently until struggling Saturday against Auburn. Cook was on the fringes of the rotation before playing an integral role in the win on the plains. Neither were good at Florida. Both have a tendency to park themselves on a block and call for a post-up, which is not a high-percentage shot for either. Sometimes guards oblige. Even if they don't get the ball, it tends to gum up spacing more often than not and is just unnecessary.
Arkansas’ lack of a reliable option next to Kingsley has been its biggest weakness on offense this year. Take this play, for example.
That came at a key juncture in the game. Arkansas didn't score and Florida hit a 3 on the other end, creating a big 5-point swing. Thomas didn't get up high or quick enough to get his shot off. Playing against size has been an issue for him most of the year. Even there, Florida guard Canyon Barry, not the most athletic guy, stuffs him.
Arkansas will need to get something from the 4 spot in the NCAA Tournament to maximize its chances. That is a scary thought.
Stray Thoughts
— Anton Beard had another sub-par outing, going scoreless for the fourth time in 7 games and playing just 11 minutes. His PT continues to dip as his play regresses. At his best, he is a sparkplug off the bench who can distribute and knock down shots. But he’s just 7 of 32 his last 7 games.
— Florida took Daryl Macon out of the game, for the most part. He only took 4 shots in 22 minutes, making 2 and finishing with 8 points.
— Arkansas didn’t do a lot to get Dusty Hannahs the ball in good spots. Finished with 13 points on 3 of 9 shooting (3 of 6 from 3) and had a few big makes as Arkansas tried to rally, but he had a hard time getting free. Hog bigs have to do a better job screening for him.
— Mike White will win SEC Coach of the Year. He's very deserving. Really like what he's done.