AUSTIN, Texas — Arkansas forward Makhi Mitchell provided the Razorbacks with some fairly solid run in the first half of their 90-60 exhibition loss to Texas on Saturday.
Outside of star freshman guard Nick Smith, the Rhode Island transfer was among Arkansas’ few sources of offense prior to halftime. The Razorbacks trailed 40-30 at halftime, and the pair combined for 18 points.
Mitchell added 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting, and 3 rebounds and 1 block in his 11 first-half minutes. He was especially good for a stretch as the roll man in Arkansas’ ball-screen actions, flashing sound footwork and a spin move that resulted in a score.
Among his highlights was an offensive rebound and layup with 4:27 left in the first half that pulled the Razorbacks within 29-25 of the Longhorns. Twenty-two seconds later he pinned a Texas layup to the glass.
The 6-9 forward looked the part of Arkansas’ most effective, impactful big man at times. I was also impressed with his ability to hang with opposing guards as they attempted to attack him on the perimeter.
But he also had some frustrating misses around the rim — six to be exact — and did not contribute much after halftime. Saturday was a learning experience all the way around for the Razorbacks.
Mitchell will likely improve from the loss in the weeks to come. If he does, he has the potential to see the floor a lot for Arkansas. The ability is definitely there.
Razorbacks' perimeter D a concern?
Texas was selective and effective from three-point range on Saturday.
The Longhorns finished 10 of 16 beyond the arc, hitting 5 threes in each half. How good Texas will be from distance this season remains to be seen, but it has a number of quality perimeter threats.
On the flip side, Eric Musselman is surely wondering what the Razorbacks’ three-point defense will look like in 2022-23. It was a 180-degree turnaround from last Monday’s victory over Rogers (Okla.) State when they held the Hillcats to 3 of 12 from beyond the arc.
Asked how Arkansas has defended the three behind closed doors in practices, Musselman said it has been up and down.
“Again, if we’re going to struggle to shoot it,” Musselman said, “we have to do a much better job of being able to defend it and guard your guy outside the three-point line.”
Texas found the bulk of its success from deep on the wings. The Longhorns finished 4 of 6 on the left wing and 4 of 5 on the right wing.
And because of that success, Razorbacks defenders often bit on shot fakes. Texas’ playmakers were then able to compromise Arkansas’ defense off the bounce and get into the lane, where it was 19 of 30 overall.
The Razorbacks, in time, can certainly floor an effective perimeter defense on account of their length and athleticism. But to get to that point, group connectivity as well as individual want-to must improve.
Trevon Brazile limited by Texas
Aside from Smith and freshman guard Anthony Black, the 6-10 Missouri transfer may have more expectations placed on him than any player on Arkansas’ roster entering 2022-23.
When Brazile was at Missouri last season, Musselman praised the forward for his unique skillset at his size, and his upside. Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis at SEC Media Day earlier this month said he was among the league’s freshmen in 2021-22 who stood out the most.
Brazile simply did not play up to his ability against a physical Texas team on Saturday and looked a bit overwhelmed.
He finished with only 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting and 1 rebound in 15 minutes. Brazile’s playing time was the direct result of sloppy turnovers, a lack of toughness and activity on the interior.
He turned the ball over on Arkansas’ first possession of the game, then had a similar throwaway two minutes later. The miscues sandwiched a missed layup.
To his credit, Brazile had a layup attempt swatted into the court-side seats opposite the Texas bench and responded a short time later with a layup through contact. That is the kind of response coaches and teammates want to see.
But the remainder of his run was largely fruitless. Over a 5-minute, 19-second stretch in the first half, Brazile did not record a single statistic.
That also happened in a 1-minute, 20-second run to open the second half and during a 1-minute, 57-second period later in the half. The Razorbacks need much, much more from Brazile.
Arkansas also needs quite a bit more from its transfer class as a whole.