FAYETTEVILLE — No. 10 Arkansas returns to play Friday against Fordham inside Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game can be viewed on SEC Network-Plus.
The Razorbacks opened the season Monday with a 76-58 victory over North Dakota State. The Rams also won Monday, defeating Dartmouth 88-74.
Here are five things to watch for in Arkansas’ second game:
• Anthony Black’s impact
The Razorbacks’ 5-star freshman guard was among several players who were banged up in the win over the Bison on Monday. Black, in the second half, rolled his ankle during a play on the defensive end and was taken back toward the locker room to be evaluated.
He returned later and finished the night with 3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers in 30 minutes. The lone knock on Black is he finished 1 of 7 from the floor, and he made his first attempt on a dribble-drive coming off a ball screen.
What Black’s minutes will look like given his ankle is unclear. But if he again gets extended minutes, look for him to again have a solid all-around impact.
“Anthony, I don’t know if he’s going to be a 20-point scorer every night, but he’s the type of guy that (impacts) the game without you even knowing,” Wichita State transfer Ricky Council said.
Eric Musselman on Wednesday said he believes Arkansas ran 13 pick-and-rolls with Black handling the basketball. He found the freshman’s reads and playmaking up to his high standard.
“Anthony just does things that normal guys don’t,” he added. “I talked about the hook passes, cross-court passes he can make. He was really effective in pick-and-roll.”
Black tied for the team lead in assists (3) and potential assists (5). Teammates were 3 of 4 on two-point attempts created by Black, and another pass resulted in a trip to the free throw line.
He also received praise for his rebounding, and the seven rebounds grabbed were good for second on the team against the Bison. According to KenPom data, he rebounded 22.8% of available misses when in the lineup.
Musselman said Black’s rebounding provides “a whole different dimension” on the defensive end, and little things he brings such as inbound passes on baseline-out-of-bounds plays and covering for teammates in defensive rotations are not talked about enough.
Additionally, he did not allow a North Dakota State player to make a field goal when the nearest Arkansas defender to a shot. Bison players finished 0 of 4 overall, including 0 of 2 from distance. One miss beyond the arc was double-clutched and well off the mark.
“I’ve got a three-page report from (assistant) Coach (Keith) Smart of our defensive grades,” Musselman said. “Everybody is graded out there, and he’s graded pretty well defensively.”
• Razorbacks’ interior defense
When Arkansas’ roster was finalized earlier this year, it was apparent it would be long as a whole, and especially so around the rim. Securing the signatures of rim-protecting forwards and shot-altering guards was clearly the coaching staff’s plan following a painful Elite Eight loss to Duke.
Some of the Razorbacks’ additions made Game 1 statements and played key roles in an impressive defensive start to the season. Arkansas, according to KenPom, posted a defensive efficiency rating of 79.0 against North Dakota State.
The figure was made possible by its interior defense. The Razorbacks limited the Bison to 14 of 35 (40%) from the floor inside the three-point line.
In the lane and restricted area in particular, North Dakota State made just 12 of 29 (41.4%) attempts. Four Arkansas players finished with one block, and only one Bison made more than half of his two-point looks despite seven taking at least two such shots.
Musselman, too, was pleased with the way the Razorbacks defended post touches and disallowed some entry passes.
“We did a good job of digging with the four guys that were not guarding the post,” he said. “Our posts met North Dakota State's posts early and we had some physicality as they got into scoring range where we call it 'meet and greet.'
“I didn't think we were soft trying to fight for post position defensively. People always talk about offensive players fighting for post position. We feel it's extremely important to fight for post position defensively.”
In its season opener, Fordham made 27 of 41 (65.9%) two-point attempts. Sound and solid interior defense will to be important if Arkansas hopes to move to 2-0.
• Makhi Mitchell
The Rhode Island transfer multiple times in Arkansas’ exhibition at Texas and its season opener vs. North Dakota State made plays and put together stretches that lead me to believe it will be difficult for Musselman to take him off the floor this season.
In a starting role Monday, Mitchell finished with 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 1 assist. Against the Longhorns, he struggled with efficiency at the rim, but served as one of the few sources of offense when Arkansas was competitive in the first half.
I took that as a positive. It brought a bit of clarity to the Razorbacks’ front-court battle. To me at least, Mitchell’s play against the Bison further cemented my belief that he can — and likely will — be a dependable big on both ends.
Each time I have watched him since the Red-White Game on Oct. 16, what has impressed is his footwork as a roller in ball-screen actions, after catching passes on short rolls, and defending guards on the perimeter as they searched for an avenue to attack. Setting better screens is a challenge Musselman has given him.
“It just came from maybe after the (foreign) tour,” Mitchell said of his play in the pick-and-roll. “I just had to get in the gym. When we first got back, I think everybody else went home, and me and my brother were the only ones in the gym just trying to work on our game.
“(We’re) just playing the roles that Coach wants us to play and being a star at it.”
Then, on Monday, Mitchell threw in a couple of back-to-the-basket buckets. They were pure, and hopefully something we will see more of in the near future.
“I've always had that coming from Rhode Island, but I wasn’t as good at it as I am now,” Mitchell added. “I got stronger, my balance is better, and I was coming off of injuries last year at Rhode Island. I think the weight room definitely helped.”
Defensively, his three steals matched a career high, and he held North Dakota State players to 3-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-7 on two-point attempts, when the nearest Arkansas defender.
• Defense vs. Rams’ star
Musselman on Monday was largely happy with the Razorbacks’ defensive showing against the Bison. They met their goal of allowing five or fewer three-pointers.
But less than 30 seconds into his first answer in the post-game press conference, he touched on something that irked him. Grant Nelson, labeled by the coach as North Dakota State’s star, had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and was 6 of 8 at the free throw line after tying a game high with 5 fouls drawn.
“We need to get a lot better defending the star player and for (our players) to understand how successful we’ve been over three years defending the other team’s best player,” Musselman said. “So, an area of concern.
“We’ve got to do a better job understanding when we play against a star to try to shrink the floor and dig a little bit better.”
On Friday, 6-2 Fordham guard Darius Quisenberry is the player the Razorbacks will look to slow. He scored a game-high 20 points against Dartmouth on 7-of-18 shooting, including 3 of 8 from distance.
Per KenPom data, Quisenberry took 32.8% of the Rams’ shots Monday when in the lineup. He was sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference in scoring last season and a two-time All-Horizon League selection at Youngstown State.
“We can’t let an all-league player like Quisenberry get good looks,” Musselman said. “We need to make his shot attempts, whether at the rim or beyond the three-point arc, as difficult as possible.”
• Davonte Davis’ offense
Ahead of the Razorbacks’ season opener, the third-year guard was asked what could be expected of his offensive game in 2022-23 and where he wanted to take his play overall. His response: You’ll see it.
“My game is going to grow tremendously as a player,” he continued. “And it’s going to continue throughout the entire season.”
Davis backed up his words against North Dakota State and is off to a good start. His 18-point game, too, was a complete turnaround from his scoreless opener against Mercer last season in which he did not attempt a shot from the floor.
Davis, simply following the game plan and playing to his strengths, was aggressive getting to and finishing at the rim against the Bison. According to CBBAnalytics, 57.1% of his attempts in the win were in the lane or the restricted area, and he was 6 of 8 on those shots.
“Right now, what we need from Devo, we need him to score,” Musselman said. “We need him to be a scoring combo guard. We needed his 18 points.”
Following the win, Musselman said Arkansas also needs Davis to tally assists. He added the guard is too crafty to not find teammates for easy scores or perimeter jumpers, and finish with zero assists.
Though not a big number considering he played 39 minutes, Davis tied for the team lead with five potential assists. The Razorbacks were 0-of-4 shooting inside the arc following passes from Davis and 0 of 1 from three-point range.
He, too, can get going offensively through his defense. Davis had a pair of steals and a block on Monday. Oddly enough, he did not have a block all of last season.
Davis, according to CBBAnalytics, was 2-of-3 shooting in transition. The attempts were a team high. That, right there, is Davis playing his game.