Tigers zone in to limit Hogs' offense

Arkansas guard Jordan Walsh shoots a three-pointer against Auburn during the first half of a game on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

FAYETTEVILLE — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl usually prefers his team play man-to-man defense, but the Tigers changed things up against Arkansas.

The No. 22 Tigers primarily played a 2-3 zone in beating the No. 13 Razorbacks 72-59 on Saturday night in Neville Arena.

“That was a lot — a lot — of zone that we played,” said Allen Flanigan, Auburn’s senior guard from Little Rock Parkview who had 18 points and eight rebounds. “That’s probably the first time since I’ve been here and played zone pretty much the whole game.”

The zone proved to be highly effective for Auburn as the Razorbacks shot 33.9% from the field (19 of 56) and 12.5% on three-pointers (2 of 16).

Junior guard Ricky Council hit 2 of 6 three-pointers with the rest of the Razorbacks going 0 of 10.

“Arkansas is better from two than three, and that little flat 2-3 zone bothered them,” Pearl said. “They really struggled with it. They’re going to see that all year long.”

The Razorbacks (12-3, 1-2 SEC) already have faced a lot of zone defense in the first three conference games, including their 60-57 loss at LSU and 74-68 victory over Missouri in Bud Walton Arena. In SEC play, Arkansas is shooting 39.4% from the field (69 of 175) and 19.4% on three-pointers (12 of 62).

On the season, the Razorbacks are shooting 28.7% on three-pointers (71 of 247) to rank No. 334 nationally.

More from WholeHogSports: Our coverage from the Razorbacks' 72-59 loss at Auburn on Saturday

The losses of Trevon Brazile and Nick Smith to knee injuries impact Arkansas in many ways, but notably in three-point shooting.

Brazile hit 11 of 29 three-pointers before suffering a season-ending knee injury against North Carolina-Greensboro. Despite playing only nine of 15 games, he’s third on the team behind Council (17 of 57) and freshman Anthony Black (14 of 43) in three-pointers made.

Smith, who has missed 10 games and remains out indefinitely and likely until at least the end of January, according to Arkansas coach Eric Musselman, is 6 of 20 on three-pointers. But that was after missing the first six games.

“You’re not just going to miraculously wake up and all of a sudden become a great three-point shooting team,” Musselman said. “You’ve got to figure out other ways to try to put points on the board.”

Musselman’s teams have been known for getting to the free throw line to score big, and the Razorbacks had 32 attempts at Auburn — 10 more than the Tigers. But Arkansas hit 19 free throws for 59.4%, and that included Black going 13 of 16.

The Razorbacks hit 5 of 10 free throws in their loss at LSU. They started 5 of 11 from the line against Missouri before finishing 14 of 21 with Council 11 of 13.

“The only thing I know is you’ve got to get in the gym on your own,” Musselman said of raising the percentages on free throws and shooting overall. “That’s something that’s been part of our culture. Guys working relentlessly on their game outside of practice.

“That’s got to improve, for sure.”

Musselman said the Razorbacks also need to do a better job of sharing the ball and moving without it. They had nine assists at Auburn compared to 14 turnovers.

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“We’re playing against better talent,” Musselman said of SEC games. “You’re going up against some length and some of the best defensive teams in the country.

“Alabama is coming. Look at their defensive numbers.”

The No. 7 Crimson Tide (13-2, 3-0) play at Arkansas at 6 p.m. Wednesday after pounding Kentucky 78-52 at home on Saturday.

Alabama is holding its opponents to 37.8% shooting, including 27.8% on three-pointers.

“We’ve talked to our team about trying to be better cutters,” Musselman said. “Instead of just dribbling the ball, you’ve got to cut.”

Musselman rattled off the names of former Razorbacks Au’Diese Toney, Moses Moody, Justin Smith and Jimmy Whitt as being “great cutters” to the basket.

“You’ve got to move without the ball and figure out how to score across the board,” Musselman said. “We’re not getting as many basket cuts as we have in the past.

“We’re doing the same drills. You’ve got to figure out when your shot is not falling how to get some easy baskets off of reading the defense.”

Auburn was ahead 36-25 at halftime and led by as many as 15 points in the second half.

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“I mean, just stagnant,” Black, who led the Razorbacks with 23 points, said of the offensive struggles. “We really had a bad first half to be honest. I think once we got in that hole, they could just zone us and kind of not play aggressive.”

One plus for Arkansas was out-rebounding Auburn 45-23, but with 17 offensive rebounds the Razorbacks got only eight second-chance points. They shot 7 of 22 on layups according to statbroadcast.com.

Johni Broome, the Tigers’ 6-10 sophomore transfer from Morehead (Ky.) State, had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. His presence made it tougher for the Razorbacks to finish inside.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best shot blockers in the country,” Musselman said. “He did a great job protecting the rim for them for sure.”

Arkansas wasn’t able to get many points in transition because the Tigers had a season-low eight turnovers. They had a 25-6 advantage in points off of turnovers over the Razorbacks.

But Auburn’s zone defense was the Razorbacks’ biggest problem.

“We just built a wall and played differently than what we’ve been playing, and that was the way to beat them,” Pearl said. “They never were able to effectively attack.

“Whatever we were doing defensively didn’t allow them to come back, and we didn’t turn the ball over and create easy offense for them.

“I know it’s simple, but honestly, that’s it.”