Some days, it is just not your day. That sums up Arkansas’ Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Tampa, Fla.
And some days it feels as if an opponent can do no wrong, even if it wanted to. The ball routinely bounces its way, 50-50 balls become 80-20 balls and momentum plays come one after another.
That is an apt description of Texas A&M’s afternoon in its 82-64 win over the Razorbacks. The Aggies, which once lost eight games in a row during the regular season, won their third game in as many days in Tampa and eighth game in their last nine overall.
Texas A&M played as if its NCAA Tournament life depended on it and with more than a hint of desperation. On the other hand, Arkansas was a step slow in most aspects of the game and had an uncharacteristically poor defensive showing.
"Got totally outplayed, outreacted to loose balls," Eric Musselman said. "Texas A&M outplayed us and deserved to win today. ... Today, that was not what Arkansas has been over the (last) two months."
The Razorbacks allowed the Aggies to score on 37 of their 72 offensive possessions and operate at a 1.139 point-per-possession clip. Texas A&M shot 50.8% for the game and, according to KenPom data, Arkansas posted a defensive efficiency rating of 113.4.
That mark is its worst since the SEC opener at Mississippi State (114.9) on Dec. 29.
Quenton Jackson poured in 20 points, 15 in the second half, and Hayden Hefner, a reserve guard, added 9 after halftime. Hassan Diarra, the hero in the team’s win over Florida on Thursday, scored 12 points.
Throughout the Razorbacks’ successful run in which they climbed back onto the national scene and won 15 of 17 games prior to Saturday, they were led by guard JD Notae and forward Jaylin Williams. Notae is often described as the player who makes Arkansas go, and Williams the player who holds the team together.
Neither player turned in his A-game on Saturday, a credit to the Aggies’ plan of attack defensively. Eric Musselman, though, said the struggles weren’t exclusive to the offensive end, particularly for Notae.
"I can't remember JD's defense like that since we've been together," Musselman said, "so it was both sides of the basketball, to be honest with you. It wasn't just offense."
Offensively, Notae, for the first time this season, failed to score at least 10 points. He totaled only 5 points on 2 of 8 shooting, was 0 of 5 from three-point range and battled foul trouble yet again.
Notae picked up his second foul with more than 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Musselman, who had a two-foul participation figure around 10% for the season, according to KenPom, allowed his star guard to play through them following a short break.
Foul No. 3 came with under two minutes left in the half and it led to some tentative play. For just the fourth time in 2021-22, he did not record a steal. Notae had seven in the previous two games.
Williams had scored 10-plus points in 16 consecutive games entering the final day of the regular season, but he has not reached double figures in three straight outings. He finished with 4 points on 2 of 5 shooting vs. the Aggies and turned the ball over a career-high 5 times.
In Tampa, he scored 10 total points and was 5 of 15 from the floor.
As a team, the Razorbacks committed 15 turnovers, and five players had at least two. Chris Lykes, one of the stars in Friday’s win over LSU, scored 1 point, missed all 4 of his shots and had 2 turnovers.
Arkansas’ offensive efficiency mark of 88.5, per KenPom, is its third-worst mark of the season.
The Razorbacks trimmed Texas A&M’s double-figure lead to three points with 12:13 to play, but the Aggies swung back and connected with runs of 11-3 and 10-0 to blow the game open. They led by as many as 23 late.
Stanley Umude and Au’Diese Toney provided the pulse offensively. They finished with 20 and 18 points, respectively, and Davonte Davis added 11 points and 4 assists off the bench.
In the eyes of many, the loss is a perfect example of a game that Arkansas should simply flush and move on from. It makes sense with the NCAA Tournament selection show just a day away.
The Razorbacks are sure to get positive news and very well may end up on the 4-seed line. Once their postseason destination and first-game opponent is announced, the loss will be forgotten by all.
But until then, Musselman, with precision, plans to figure out what went wrong Saturday.
"Right now, I'm worried about this game, the holes," he said. "We don't have anybody to prepare for right now. I'll do our post-game reports and get film to guys individually. There will be a lot of it, because we have to get better. That's not how we want to play.
"I'm not brushing this under (the rug) and crumbling up the stat sheet and saying, 'Well, tomorrow we get to see who we're playing against and we'll get ready for the NCAA tournament tonight.' No. We have to dissect this game."
It is part of what makes Musselman the successful coach he is. And it is also why Arkansas is as capable as any team that will land in the tournament field of being at its best when the stakes are highest.