Eric Musselman identifies the keys to victory against Missouri

Arkansas will face an unexpectedly big test tonight as Missouri, which now is ranked in the Top-25, will come into Bud Walton Arena at 12-1. If Eric Musselman’s young Razorbacks are going to cool off the Tigers, he says there are a couple of things they’ll need to do on Tuesday night.

Musselman shared some of his keys during his preview press conference on Monday. He said that, first and foremost, Arkansas is going to have to take care of the ball. He meant that from a turnover standpoint as well as a shot selection standpoint when they’re on offense.

“I think, obviously, they create a lot of turnovers. And those turnovers are live ball ones where you can get out in transition. (It’s) much like how our defense tries to ignite some offense,” said Musselman. “We can’t have any turnover shots, meaning ill-advised shots. We’ve got to have high-quality shots. They thrive off turnover shots. They jump in passing lanes and create disruption with their defense. And that allows for the offensive numbers that you see.”

Dennis Gates has the Tigers off to such a strong start because of their work offensively. They’re currently scoring the third most points per game in the nation (88.8) and posting the best offensive rating in the NCAA. That includes being third overall in the country in transition points per game (19.6) as they’re also seventh in turnovers forced per game (19.4).

So much of that is Gates bringing a ton of veterans to Columbia from the transfer portal. That includes three players from his previous stop at Cleveland State. If the Razorbacks want to get their first SEC win, Musselman says they’ll have to overcome Missouri’s experience and camaraderie.

“They have a lot of really good offensive players…And (they) have experience,” Musselman said. “Really impressed with their coaching staff coming in and getting older, veteran guys. Because that, especially early in conference play, says a lot. (Gates) did a great job too, much like LSU, of bringing players with him. I think that really helped create continuity from a schematics standpoint…That’s why you’ve seen that team get off to a great start in year one.”

Missouri has already snuck up on a pair of ranked teams in their last two games against Illinois and Kentucky. In order for Arkansas to avoid being the Tiger’s third straight Top-25 win, it’ll take success in those areas from Musselman’s team.