FAYETTEVILLE — The key to Arkansas’ much-needed 2-0 week that featured a win at then-No. 12 LSU isn’t a secret.
The Razorbacks locked in on the defensive end and played as connected as in any other two-game stretch this season. In grabbing their first wins in SEC play after a 0-3 start, Arkansas allowed an average of 50.5 points and the Tigers of Missouri and LSU collectively shot 34% from the floor.
“For two-and-a-half games prior to the Missouri game, we had played some good basketball,” said Keith Smart, an Arkansas assistant who is serving as interim head coach while Eric Musselman recovers from shoulder surgery. “We just couldn't come away with the win. You saw some growth taking place with this team, we just couldn't get the win. At some point, you just keep grinding.
“You keep grinding and eventually you get to the point where you find a way to win big. Then you win big on the road, which keeps confidence building.”
Against Missouri, Arkansas forced 23 turnovers and posted a defensive turnover rate of 31.7%, according to KenPom data, the fourth-best mark of Musselman’s tenure. It helped the Razorbacks record their No. 2 defensive efficiency rating (59.3) in the last three seasons.
Under Musselman, it is Arkansas’ top figure in a league game.
The Razorbacks’ defensive intensity then held up on the road against LSU, a team that one week prior had hung 79 points on Tennessee, which owns the No. 5 defensive efficiency rating in the country. Its transition and three-point defense, in particular, stood out.
Arkansas committed a season-high 19 turnovers, but those resulted in only 13 points for the Tigers. LSU also made just 5 of 19 (26.3%) attempts beyond the arc.
Smart, who was emotional Saturday after picking up a win in his hometown of Baton Rouge, said the defensive improvements of late are simply concepts Musselman has instilled with the group carrying over from practice to games.
“Guys start being in position where they’re supposed to be, guys going to block out,” Smart said. “We say to block out when you’re on the perimeter. You don’t go into the paint to rebound, you go to the elbow ready to chase a ball down or block a guy out from there. Shot goes up, you step to your guy first, you seek him and then you box him out.
“I think all of that stuff started coming together for us. We hope that this team can continue to do that.”
In the two-game winning streak, Arkansas allowed 0.65 points per possession, according to Hoop Lens analytics, and Missouri and LSU shot 20% from three-point range. They also connected on just 41.2% of looks inside the arc.
The Razorbacks have received several impressive individual performances in that stretch.
Trey Wade, a seldom-used forward prior to the start of SEC play, held Missouri players to 1 of 10 shooting as Arkansas’ nearest defender and added 2 steals and 3 blocks. On Saturday, he held LSU shooters to 2 of 8 from the floor.
Stanley Umude has somewhat quietly played well on the defensive end through five conference games. Lineups that include him have allowed 0.93 PPP, and 0.57 over 77 possessions the last two games.
Opponents are 7 of 34 (20.6%) shooting against Umude in SEC play.
Davonte Davis helped make up for a five-turnover game at LSU with one of his best defensive efforts in the last month. The Tigers were 1 of 7 from the floor — including 0 of 4 beyond the arc — against him, and he tallied 1 steal and multiple deflections in the win.
Asked if any player is hitting his stride over the last week on the defensive end, Smart kept his focus on the big picture.
“You want to make sure your team is developing offensively and defensively, because if you just wait for your offense or one player to develop on either side of the ball, it’s still a team game,” he said. “You’ve still got to make sure the entire team is developing and growing.
“I think that’s what happened over the last four-and-a-half or five games.”
The Razorbacks have given up 0.70 PPP in Jaylin Williams’ 91 defensive possessions the last two games. He has acted as an anchor in that stretch, coming away with 21 defensive rebounds, 5 steals and 5 drawn charges.
“We’re playing for each other,” Williams said. “We’re playing for what’s on the front of the jersey and not what’s on the back. I think that we’ve got to just look forward to the next game and play just as hard.
“Then we can get on a run.”