FAYETTEVILLE — More than once following a loss this season Arkansas coach Eric Musselman has remarked that the Razorbacks needed more perimeter scoring.
He hit a similar note after the team's 73-66 home loss to then-No. 10 Kentucky on Saturday, adding that one way Arkansas can counteract its size disadvantage and subsequent rebounding deficit is by significantly outscoring opponents beyond the arc.
The Razorbacks knocked down eight 3s on 24 attempts against the Wildcats, finishing plus-nine in that regard. But it wasn't enough. The bar they must reach in terms of 3s per game, especially on the road, sits somewhere between 10-12, Musselman says.
To get to that mark, the Razorbacks will need an assist from guards Desi Sills and Jalen Harris, and even forward Adrio Bailey.
"We need somebody else to make some 3-balls besides Mason (Jones) and Isaiah (Joe). We really do," Musselman said the day after Arkansas' loss at LSU. "On the road, I think the magic number has got to be like 12. Eight is not going to do it because of our lack of rebounding."
The Razorbacks have gotten an average of 5.8 3-pointers per game from Joe and Jones this season while Sills, Harris and Bailey have provided less than two per outing between them.
Entering Wednesday's game at Mississippi State, the latter group has shot 7 of 29 from 3-point range (24.1 percent) in four true road games this season, and six have come from Sills. Harris and Bailey are a combined 1 of 11 beyond the arc.
In SEC games, they are 8 of 32 from distance, and half of those scores came against Kentucky as Joe and Jones struggled, finishing 4 of 16 in the loss. Arkansas' top two shooters, though, have hit the 3 at a solid 35.2-percent clip in league play.
Given the Bulldogs' reputation as a physical rebounding team, a big night from the perimeter appears to be vital. Mississippi State is No. 1 in the nation this season, according to KenPom, in offensive rebound rate at 41.4 percent. In conference play, that number jumps to 42.3 percent.
"If you look at our team, we’re not going to win the rebounding battle," Musselman said Monday. "And (if) you’re going to play small, you’ve got to make 3s. Otherwise, we might as well play three bigs at a time."
To his credit, Harris knocked down a pair of timely jumpers against Kentucky, including one in front of the Razorbacks' bench in the second half that cut the Arkansas deficit to 42-40. It was his third game with multiple 3-pointers this season and first since December 3 against Austin Peay.
Harris was previously 0 of 8 over the previous seven games. His second 3 in the loss gave him nine for the season, one more than he made in 2018-19 – on 36 fewer attempts.
Sills, too, provided one 3-pointer in Saturday's loss from the left corner, slowing a Kentucky run. But Arkansas needs more from the guard who hit 18 of 29 from 3 to end his freshman season. And Bailey's lone triple against the Wildcats helped the Razorbacks get off to a strong offensive start.
He is 6 of 16 from 3-point range (37.5 percent) this season and 2 of 6 in conference play. That has been a bit of a surprise to Musselman to this point.
"Adrio right now, believe it or not, is our highest percentage 3-point shooter," he added. "And so, you sit and ask yourself, ‘If Adrio took 50 3s, what would his percentage be?’ I have no idea, but at the beginning of the year when I looked at our stats from last year, if you would have told me Adrio would be leading us in 3-point percentage, I would be shocked.
"But he is. Maybe I need to tell him to take more 3s."
Should Arkansas find perimeter success at Mississippi State, it would be a rarity since SEC play began. Through five games, only Alabama (10) has made more than five 3s against the Bulldogs. Ben Howland's club held LSU to 2 of 21 beyond the arc in Baton Rouge and Georgia to 3 of 18 in a runaway home win last weekend.
Mississippi State has limited opponents to 31.2 percent from 3-point range this season, and 22.7 in league games, which is tops in the SEC. Vanderbilt is No. 2 at 25 percent.
"It’s a big-time challenge, because Mississippi State is playing with a great deal of confidence," Musselman said. "They’re extremely well coached, they’re tough and their strength is our weakness. It’s a road game.
"And quite honestly, we’ve got to get over ourselves - me included."