Arkansas’ offense, which entered Wednesday’s game at LSU third in the SEC in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom data, failed to find a rhythm against the Tigers.
Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman after the game alluded to his team settling for perimeter jumpers in the game’s early stages. That trend continued when it was well in hand, too.
Arkansas’ less-than-ideal shot selection played into the hands of an offensively gifted LSU team eager to pounce on lapses in judgment and decision making. It resulted in the Razorbacks’ second-worst offensive efficiency rating of the season (92.2), per KenPom.
In addition to Arkansas’ contested and low-quality looks, Musselman was disappointed in the Razorbacks’ lack of productivity and leadership from the point guard position. JD Notae, Jalen Tate and Davonte Davis all saw time leading the group.
They combined for four assists and eight turnovers.
Notae led the team in scoring with 22 points but took 20 shots in the process. He knocked down 3 of 10 attempts from 3-point range and pulled the trigger on a handful of questionable looks.
“I mean, JD, he can score the ball, but he's got to defend,” Musselman said. “He's got to move the ball more. Offensively there was a lot of shallow, hollow — whatever word you want to use — stats.”
Tate, following his 15-point, 10-assist double-double against Georgia, was a non-factor on the offensive end, finishing with six points on five shot attempts. The only Razorback with more than 10 assists in SEC play, Tate totaled one in his 21 minutes.
Arkansas was minus-26 in his time on the floor.
Partially due to LSU’s 2-2-1 three-quarter-court pressure and 1-3-1 zone in the halfcourt, Tate was noticeably not himself in terms of creating shot opportunities for teammates. Through four prior SEC games, he was averaging 13 assistable passes per game.
He totaled 15 potential assists against Auburn and Georgia, and 13 in the loss to Missouri. On Wednesday, that number dipped to a league-play low six. The Razorbacks were 1 of 6 from the floor on shots immediately following a Tate pass.
Over his 46 offensive possessions at LSU, Arkansas scored at a dismal .54 point-per-possession rate and posted an effective field goal percentage of 27, according to HoopLens. The team’s PPP figure jumped to 1.21 in the 42 possessions he sat.
Another semi-puzzling note is that each of Tate’s six field goal attempts were jumpers above the foul line. Fairly quietly, he has been one of Arkansas’ most effective finishers in conference play, sinking 7 of 8 shots around the rim.
Wednesday marked the first time all season Tate did not take at least one shot in the painted area.
Davis, in his third career start, struggled with his touch from close range. Playing at his own pace and not rushing shots is vital, which he did masterfully against Georgia. He made 6 of 9 attempts in the lane last Saturday.
At LSU, he was 1 of 8 in the lane and missed three jump shots.
What I have liked about his play the last two games is he is looking to set the table for others and is generally creative in doing so, especially when under control. He had 15 assistable passes vs. Georgia (7) and LSU (8).
The Razorbacks made 2 of the 8 shots he created against the Tigers.
On the defensive end, Tate and Notae allowed seven scores on 15 shots as the nearest defender.
Getting back to Musselman’s initial assessment, when Arkansas’ offense is out of sorts, someone has to take the reins on the floor, assert himself as the leader and get everyone organized and on the same page.
There did not appear to be much in the way of direction from the lead guards Wednesday.