FAYETTEVILLE — Several thoughts and observations from Arkansas’ final preseason tuneup against North Texas over the weekend:
• JD Notae’s first half was terrific. For 16 minutes in the first half against the Mean Green on Saturday, fans who made their way into Bud Walton Arena saw Notae play like an All-SEC first-team selection. He really was great scoring the basketball, hitting 5 of 9 shots and 4 of 6 looks from three-point range, and gave Grant McCasland’s team some serious problems.
Arkansas outscored North Texas by 15 points with Notae on the floor prior to halftime and the Razorbacks carried into the locker room a 14-point lead. About the only thing Notae did not do was pitch in on the glass. In addition to his handful of scores, he knocked down a pair of free throws, assisted on a Chris Lykes three-pointer and blocked a shot in the lane. For a 6-2 guard, he has a knack for blocking other guards’ shots.
Offensively, he was lights out. All of his hits from the perimeter were looks I had no issues with. Notae was fairly instant offense on out-of-bounds plays, too, knocking down deep left-wing threes on both baseline- and side-out sets. His third and final triple from the left wing was my favorite.
Au’Diese Toney drove to the SEC logo, picked up his dribble and found Notae beyond the arc. Notae shot faked a defender, sent him flying by then side-stepped left and drilled a three. He has always been able to do that, and what a weapon it is.
Notae obviously did not have a great second half. He was a minus-6 in 20 minutes, missed all five of his field goal attempts and didn’t register an assist. There are definitely some things to clean up, but I did not think he was bad. He pulled a shot or two I wasn’t crazy about, but he also just misfired on a few good looks.
I was a fan of the way he ran off and sharply curled screens when playing the off guard, working hard to get his matchup clipped by those picks. He’s going to score a lot of points this season off pindowns that get him in the middle of the floor with a chance to drive the lane and hit floaters from the SEC logo or closer.
• I hope Jaxson Robinson keeps on shooting. The transfer guard from Texas A&M did not have good showings in Arkansas’ two exhibition games against East Central (Okla.) and North Texas. In 26 combined minutes, Robinson failed to score and finished 0 of 5 from three-point range. The Razorbacks were outscored by five points in his run.
Eric Musselman tried to get him going on Saturday and threw him in the starting lineup in place of Jaylin Williams, who has been experiencing back spasms. Robinson just didn’t have it. But I hope his two preseason performances don’t stick with him and damage his confidence.
To begin the second half against the Mean Green, he turned the ball over then missed a wide open left-corner three. It was kind of a hard miss, one that was a touch strong and off a little to the right. He checked out with 14:23 remaining and looked somewhat disappointed. Robinson didn’t return to the floor.
He can be a key piece to the Razorbacks’ offense, whether in a starting role like Saturday or as a three-point-minded rotation player. His shot is too effortless and smooth to stay down much longer. Robinson is the kind of player who can perhaps be the difference in a big road game in the SEC. Arkansas needs to continue to pump him with confidence. His time is coming.
• KK Robinson impacted the game without taking a single shot. Arkansas was plus-17 in the first half against the Mean Green with the left-handed guard on the floor and he did not have an official field goal attempt to his name. But it wasn’t one of those runs in which he was just along for the ride as teammates did all the work. Robinson had a hand in plenty of the action.
In his 13 minutes, he scored 1 point, grabbed 3 rebounds and had 4 assists. The Razorbacks had eight assists as a team at halftime. It seemed as if Robinson played with his head up more than Arkansas’ other guards. Nevertheless, I thought he was one of the team’s best players prior to the break.
Defensively, he tallied a steal behind textbook help defense, deflecting a pass from the right corner to the right wing with his left hand, corralling it and initiating a fastbreak chance for Davonte Davis. Robinson made a few really good advance passes that helped the Razorbacks beat North Texas down the floor, and his skip pass from the left baseline to the right wing for a Stanley Umude three-pointer was brilliant. That is the kind of play you love to see from your point guard.
Robinson can absolutely have a significant impact with this Arkansas team. To do that, though, he first has to stay healthy. The best ability is availability, especially on a team with some guys dealing with injuries. Robinson also has to stay away from ticky-tack fouls. Those really plagued him as a freshman.
• Chris Lykes may find the ball in his hands late in some games. First of all, I believe the basketball will more often than not late in close games belong to Notae and/or Davis. I’d probably lean toward Notae with Davis floating and making himself available off the ball. Those two guys may be far and away Arkansas’ best individual playmakers at the guard spot right now.
Lykes would like a word here, too. He is obviously lightning quick and great at attacking a defender’s top foot if he is being shaded one direction. That allows him to buckle defenses by getting into the middle of the floor, where he can hit a short shot or find open teammates either near the rim or on the perimeter. You can never have too many players who can break down a set defense and create their own shot.
Lykes is also solid at drawing contact and whistles from officials, which he showcased Saturday. That is an incredibly valuable skill to have. According to KenPom data, he drew 5.5 fouls per 40 minutes played last season, 4.1 in 2019-20 and 4.7 the season before. And Lykes has proven to be a solid free throw shooter throughout his college career.
The 5-7 guard can almost be too quick and eager to make a play sometimes, fumbling the ball a bit after putting it on the floor. Like others at his position, decision making and shot selection have to improve, but I’m confident he will get to where Musselman wants. Lykes seems to be a very coachable and self-aware player, and he wants to do the things that impact winning.
• Trey Wade is going to bring toughness to the floor. Seeing Trey Wade not only in uniform but take the floor against North Texas was a pleasant surprise. Musselman had said in previous media availabilities that Wade was likely looking at making his debut on opening night against Mercer. Arkansas benefitted from his play about 10 days earlier than many anticipated.
Wade, who has battled an injury to a tendon in his right knee this preseason, was extremely winded during his time on the floor, Musselman said, but in better shape than Arkansas’ third-year coach originally thought. So he threw the forward out there for 17 minutes, and the Razorbacks were plus-15 in that span.
With Williams and Kamani Johnson (hand/wrist) out, Arkansas needed some rugged play on the interior. Wade provided some of that, particularly in the first half. He was part of a lineup that outscored North Texas 14-0 over a three-minute, 17-second span and grabbed five rebounds — the most of any Arkansas lineup combination.
The Razorbacks finished with 13 rebounds when Wade was on the floor. They grabbed 15 over the 23 minutes, 14 seconds he sat. Arkansas also scored 2.80 points per minute when he played and 0.90 with him off the floor. One would imagine Wade is going to have a place in the rotation.
He is a player who is simply going to play his role and never stray far from it. And he’ll make the Razorbacks a tougher team. Wade is built very solid up top and certainly won’t shy away from contact and physicality. Reliable guys like him are invaluable.
• Arkansas has to want to rebound the ball more. I am not going to overreact to the Razorbacks being hurt pretty badly on the glass by the Mean Green because Williams, likely the team’s best frontcourt rebounder, and Johnson did not play. I thought, too, Davis finding himself in foul trouble was detrimental in terms of the team’s rebounding. He is about as good as they come grabbing missed shots at the guard spot, and that was unavailable for long stretches.
When Arkansas becomes more whole, its effort on the glass will improve. But it has to get healthy first. Without those frontline pieces, I found several players standing and watching as a shot went up, seemingly expecting another teammate to get the job done. Rebounding is a want-to thing, and the Razorbacks need multiple players willing to take charge on the glass.
KK Robinson finished second on the team against North Texas with four defensive rebounds. He played just 18 minutes. Umude led the way with five. He’s shown he can be a consistent rebounder in the past. It is not on just one player to be better finishing defensive possessions with rebounds. Musselman is looking for some more toughness from his guys, and if he finds it then the Razorbacks should be fine on the boards. But there is work to be done.
• Feel like Arkansas forcing 19 turnovers is getting overlooked. The Razorbacks limiting the Mean Green to 4 of 26 from three-point range drew most of the attention Saturday, but Arkansas’ ability to force turnovers stood out to me. Of the five North Texas players who played 20-plus minutes, each of them had at least two turnovers, and one had five.
According to StatBroadcast, the Razorbacks forced seven bad-pass turnovers, five lost-ball turnovers (four in the second half) and a shot clock violation. Overall, the Mean Green turned the ball over on 27.5% of their possessions. That figure likely would have been higher had Arkansas been able to come up with some loose balls and deflections.
This Razorbacks team has good defensive potential. It’s going to be interesting to see this group grow together on that end.