Skip to main content
Join
Team Avatar
Arkansas

Eric Musselman provides second-half keys vs. Texas A&M in SEC Tournament

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•03/10/23
Nick Smith, Arkansas Razorbacks guard
Arkansas guard Nick Smith handles the basketball during a game against Auburn in the SEC Tournament on March 9, 2023. (Carly Mackler / Getty Images)

Arkansas began its quarterfinal game in the SEC Tournament with a bang, jumping out to a 38-25 halftime lead over second-seeded Texas A&M.

The Razorbacks relied on an intense effort on the offensive end, aided by a very capable backcourt. Guard Nick Smith turned in 13 points in the second half and Arkansas got a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the half, courtesy of Jordan Walsh.

“Well we’ll take that and a little bit of our sideline break,” coach Eric Musselman told Alyssa Lang of the SEC Network broadcast crew at halftime. “Not exactly how we drew it up, but we’ll take it.”

Arkansas made things extremely difficult for Texas A&M on the defensive end, forcing nine turnovers in the first half and allowing zero fast break points.

Texas A&M was able to score some in the paint, but its guards were mostly held in check. Point guard Wade Taylor IV had just two points at halftime on 1-of-8 shooting.

“Well we wanted to try to keep the ball in front of us,” Musselman explained. “We’ve done a great job of using our length. We have a little bit of a size advantage in the backcourt, but Texas A&M’s a great basketball team, very well-coached. They’ll make adjustments at halftime.”

Arkansas getting hot in the SEC Tournament?

Arkansas came into the SEC Tournament riding a three-game losing streak through a brutal closing stretch to the regular season.

But the Razorbacks washed that bad taste out of their mouths on Thursday night with a thrilling win over Auburn in its first foray at the SEC Tournament.

And despite a 13-point halftime lead, Musselman knows things are far from over in Game 2 against Texas A&M. Musselman broke down what he expects to change after halftime.

“I would expect maybe a little bit more pressure in the backcourt,” he said. “We’ve done a really good job of attacking their press with the exception of one possession.”

Then Musselman added a final key for his team before heading to the locker room at halftime.

“We have to rebound, too,” he said.