FAYETTEVILLE — Sunday afternoon offers the first look at Arkansas’ men’s basketball team since its 4-0 run during a foreign tour through Italy and Spain in August.
The Razorbacks, entering the fourth year of the Eric Musselman era, will hold their annual Red-White game in Barnhill Arena at 2 p.m. For a coaching staff still assessing its roster ahead of a pair of preseason exhibitions against Rogers (Okla.) State on Oct. 24 and at Texas on Oct. 29, the scrimmage could provide some clarity moving forward.
Here are a few things to watch for in the game:
• Any separation among big men
Four players — Makhi and Makhel Mitchell, Jalen Graham, Kamani Johnson — are locked in a battle for playing time as the Razorbacks gear up to play outside competition in the coming weeks.
What happens Sunday will not be the end all, be all when determining roles and minutes played. But the scrimmage is another body of work and will allow Arkansas’ staff to have a greater understanding of which bigs come alive and produce in a game-like setting.
To this point in the preseason, Musselman said he has seen “different things on different days” from all four players. It is clear he is looking for a name or two to emerge sooner than later to assist in generating a base rotation early in the season.
Consistency in both effort and performance is critical.
Johnson, the lone player in the bunch to average more than 3 points and 3 rebounds in Europe, was among the Razorbacks’ top three standouts overseas. He led the team in rebounding by a fairly sizable margin and served as a catalyst in terms of interior toughness.
He is considered the best loose-ball getter among the bigs and brings great value as an offensive rebounder. Johnson last season grabbed 18.3% of available offensive rebounds when on the floor, according to CBB Analytics.
Makhi Mitchell has the ability to play the 4 and 5. Musselman noted he has showcased solid footwork when switched onto a quicker player, and mobility and strength around the rim on both ends can be a plus. Makhel Mitchell prefers to play in the lane and is the more physical twin.
Graham flashes a more finesse game and finds comfort in the 12-14 foot range offensively. He rebounded well in Arkansas’ first exhibition in Europe, but tailed off on the glass afterward, and he was not particularly efficient with his field goal attempts.
“It’s going to come down to little things like not turning the ball over, understanding second, third and fourth options, how do they fit into our culture of practice that we do every single day,” Musselman said. “A lot of the stuff that we’re doing is really new for many of our players and the pace that we want to play at.
“There still has been a learning curve with many of them.”
• Nick Smith and Anthony Black
Over a seven-week stretch prior to this week, Arkansas’ staff had Black and Smith match up with each other on both ends in workouts as they initiated offense for their respective group.
And lately, the talented guards have run alongside one another and flashed a noticeable chemistry, Musselman said. They will begin Sunday's game on the Red team.
Should the rosters shuffle and they defend each other at some point, it will be an interesting game within the game to track. Black, at 6-7, has great length to throw off the rhythm of sets, and he can be ultra disruptive on the perimeter, forcing ball handlers to initiate offense high on the floor.
Smith, known more as a high-caliber three-level scorer, is a stingy defender in his own right.
Offensively, his elite first-step quickness will test even the best on-ball defenders. And once in the lane Smith can completely compromise a defense then exercise his best judgement as to the most effective route to get his team a score.
Black is something of a work in progress in terms of perimeter scoring, but, like Smith, he has a knack for getting into the teeth of defenses and either getting to — and above — the rim, utilizing a quality floater package or spitting the ball out to an open teammate beyond the arc.
With Black and Smith on the same side, expect heady advance passes that lead to quick-strike scores, high-quality looks on the perimeter and great intensity on the defensive end. They are two players expected to play plenty of minutes together this season.
Efforts made toward growing their synergy are a good call.
• Jordan Walsh
Performance-wise, Walsh likely did not have the foreign tour he envisioned.
Walsh, who could potentially be an X-factor for the Razorbacks on account of his length, athleticism and versatility at 6-7, finished eighth on the team in scoring over four games in Europe. He knocked down just 9 of 29 field goal attempts, including 1 of 8 threes.
Since returning to campus, his focus has been becoming more efficient around the rim and growing his perimeter game.
“Coach had me doing a lot of extra finishing drills because in Europe I was double-pumping a lot when I was going toward the rim,” Walsh said. “I was trying to avoid contact when I should have been attacking contact and going through people. That was something I had to work on.
“It was kind of like a mindset change just getting ready for the college level.”
While there were some offensive struggles in the exhibitions, Walsh was among the team leaders in steals. He is an aggressive defender by nature and has a tendency to, at times, gamble.
I expect a mature approach from Walsh on both ends Sunday. He said earlier this week he is not certain as of now what his role will be for the Razorbacks this season, but if he plays within himself on a consistent basis in the preseason then his minutes and place in the rotation shouldn’t be in question come Nov. 7.
“I’m the type of guy that’s going to do whatever it takes to get the W, so whatever Coach wants me to do, like, that’s what I’m going to do,” Walsh said. “If he wants me to shoot threes, play defense, bring the ball up the court, post up, whatever that is, I’m going to fill that spot.
“Whatever he needs, I’ll be able to do it, for sure.”
• Perimeter shooting
Outside of Smith, the Razorbacks did not shoot the ball well from three-point range overseas, and Musselman noted earlier this week that the team’s shooting numbers have largely remained steady — not in a great way — since workouts began this summer.
Smith made 9 of 23 perimeter looks in Europe, but no other Arkansas player made more than two threes in the four exhibitions. Ricky Council was 2 of 6, and 5 other players knocked down 1 apiece.
Tracking three-point figures will be intriguing because the Razorbacks have capable threats from deep in Trevon Brazile, Walsh and even Council and junior guard Davonte Davis. In Europe, Brazile did not have to turn to his jumper often given how obstacle-free his path to the rim was.
I am eager, too, to see if his shot motion, which typically begins at or below his waist, has been altered or sped up at all. If he knocks down threes with any consistency then he will cause problems for opposing defenses because he appears more than comfortable putting the ball on the floor a couple of times, too, when attacking the rim.
Black and Barry Dunning, a 4-star from Mobile, Ala., are two more players to keep an eye on beyond the arc. There is definite potential in Black’s jumper, and it could be a weapon in time.
Teammates said in late September that Dunning had impressed from deep.
But with a wide variety of players who have solid-to-strong off-the-dribble games, I don’t anticipate Arkansas being a high-volume three-point attempt team. But the result of that penetration could be a healthy number of clean outside looks if passes are on time and on target.
More so than makes, be cognizant of the quality of the attempts beyond the arc on Sunday.
Red roster
Anthony Black
Ricky Council
Nick Smith
Jalen Graham
Jordan Walsh
Makhi Mitchell
Cade Arbogast
Lawson Blake
White roster
Trevon Brazile
Davonte Davis
Joseph Pinion
Barry Dunning
Kamani Johnson
Makhel Mitchell
Derrian Ford
Rosters are subject to change