Scouting Report: Arkansas Razorbacks

On paper, you could describe the Arkansas Razorbacks as desperate.

Ranked #14 in the preseason AP Poll, head coach Eric Musselman’s team has experienced a bit of a tailspin this year. A home loss to UNC Greensboro back on November 17th started a stretch of losing three out of four games. However, the Razorbacks responded by defeating the Duke Blue Devils at Bud Walton Arena to close out November. Non-conference play ended with a 9-4 record as expectations were still high going into the SEC schedule. Those expectations quickly came crashing down.

Arkansas began SEC play with a 32-point home loss to Auburn. Now sitting at 1-5 in the league, their five losses have been by an average of 20.6 points. Quite simply, it appears that Coach Musselman might be losing this team. That isn’t meant to place the blame at his feet, but clearly, things are not going well in Fayetteville. In Wednesday’s 77-51 loss at Ole Miss, Coach Musselman started Denijay Harris who had played 24 minutes all season and had scored just five points. Two other starters played a combined 14 minutes while Arkansas played 13 total players for at least six minutes. They are throwing it all at the wall at this point in hopes of finding something that sticks.

With all of that being said, #6 Kentucky is going to have its hands full at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. If the Razorbacks are going to get up for any game the rest of the season it will likely be this one. College GameDay is in attendance and the Wildcats always bring out the best in their opponents.

Also, take a look at the numbers for AP Poll Top 10 teams playing unranked opponents on the road this season. They are truly staggering. At the time of this post, Top 10 teams are just 17-27 against unranked opponents on the road. That is over 20% lower than last season and about 35% lower than it was five years ago. College basketball has changed. Parity is the name of the game. Winning on the road, especially in your conference, is really hard.

As always, we have prepared a full, in-depth scouting report for Kentucky’s next opponent. We will take a deep dive into the Razorbacks’ personnel, break down their offensive and defensive schemes, and highlight the keys to the game for the Cats. Let’s dive in and get to know more about the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas Razorbacks Personnel

Starters

#1 Keyon Menifield Jr.: 6’1″ 150 lbs, Sophomore Guard

7.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.9 apg

Dynamic, playmaking point guard. Aggressive offensive player. Capable shooter. Will make some tough ones off of the dribble. You need to get out and break his rhythm when he is bouncing it on the perimeter so he can’t dribble into a pull-up. Go OVER the ballscreens and handoffs. We don’t want to give him open 3s behind the ballscreens and handoffs. CHASE him off of downscreens and get OVER the flares. He is not a great finisher when he has to drive it. Right-hand driver. Get your hands up and make him finish with you between him and the basket. Do not over-help when he is driving it, especially if he is driving it left. We would rather make him finish 2s than give up an assist to an open teammate. No uncontested 3s. More shots than points for him.

#4 Davonte Davis: 6’4″ 185 lbs, Senior Guard

6.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg

Left-handed. He is a low-percentage shooter. 11-46 (23.9%) from 3 this season. We don’t want to give him wide-open catch-and-shoot 3s, but we are much more worried about him as a left-hand driver. He is much better and more aggressive as a left-hand driver. NO LEFT-HAND DRIVES!!! You can help off of him when he doesn’t have it and then close out short with high hands and choppy feet. Be there to contest the obvious catch-and-shoot 3s and then bounce back to guard against the left-hand drive. You are closing out short and under control to stay between him and the basket. He will look to get all the way to the basket when he is driving it left, but he is more so driving to pass when is going right. Don’t over-help when he drives it right. No left-hand drives. No layups for him.

#12 Tramon Mark: 6’6″ 185 lbs, Junior Guard

17.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.5 apg

Left-handed. Most talented player. Very good offensively. Good size and can create for himself. Shooter! No catch-and-shoot 3s! Shooting 40.4% from 3. Not a high-volume shooter, but makes more than one per game at a high percentage. Get OVER the ballscreens and handoffs. CHASE off of downscreens and get OVER the flares. You need to be tighter to him on the perimeter than you are to the other guys. Tighten up to him as the ball is driven towards you. Very good left-hand driver. No left-hand drives! He is looking to shoo the pull-up going right but will get all the way to the rim going left. Contest the pull-up jump shots. Be ready to be physical at the end of his drives. He will shot fake and pivot around to come back left. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. No catch-and-shoot 3s!

#8 Chandler Lawson: 6’8″ 210 lbs, Graduate Student Forward

4.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.6 apg

Strong, physical 4-man. Not super aggressive offensively. Mostly looking to score around the basket. Will look to ballscreen and roll some within their offense. Just stay between him and the basket on the roll and make him score over you if they throw it to him. Not really a shooting threat. He is not hunting 3s. Much more dangerous as a slasher and right-hand driver. No right-hand drives!!! Closeout short to him on the perimeter and stay between him and the basket. Right hand, left shoulder in the post. He will use his physicality to turn his drives into a post move some. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. Active on the offensive glass. Make contact and box him out. Don’t lose him off the ball and let him back-cut you. No right-hand drives!

#2 Trevon Brazile: 6’10” 220 lbs, Redshirt Sophomore Forward

8.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 0.5 apg

Super athletic, long 4-man. Capable shooter, but at his best as a slasher and right-hand driver. 18-52 from 3. You need to be there to contest the obvious catch-and-shoot 3s. You can help off of him, but close out with high hands and give a hard contest to the catch-and-shoot 3s. Better and more aggressive as a right-hand driver. No right-hand drives! Bounce back and stay between him and the basket on the perimeter. Need to tag him on the short roll and not give him a runway to the rim. They like to throw it to him on the pop or short roll so he can drive it right. You can aggressively come and try to take it off of him when he has the ball. Not thinking about passing. 10 assists, 35 turnovers. Excellent offensive rebounder. Box out. No right-hand drives!

Bench

#0 Khalif Battle: 6’5″ 185 lbs, Graduate Student Guard

11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.1 apg

Backup guard. SHOOTER!!! NO 3s!!! Over half of his shots have been 3s. Shooting a much better percentage from 3 than he is from 2. You need to be tight to him at all times to take him away from 3. Tighten up to him as the ball is driven towards you. Absolutely no help off of him. Get OVER the ballscreens and handoffs. CHASE him off of downscreens and get OVER the flares. Be very willing to switch anytime there is too much space. When you switch you have to switch out aggressively to take him away from 3. He almost exclusively is hunting jump shots. Be ready to contest the mid-range pull-ups. We want to make him finish 2’s. Get out and pressure him on the perimeter and make him drive it. Don’t bail him out by fouling. Much better free throw shooter than finisher. NO 3s!!!

#11 Jalen Graham: 6’10” 220 lbs, Fifth Year Senior Forward

6.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.4 apg

Backup 4/5 man. Long, bouncy, and athletic. He is exclusively looking to score around the basket. Will ballscreen and roll to the rim. They will throw it up to him some on the roll. He is an above-the-rim player. Just give ground and stay lower than him on the roll. Not as good of a finisher with you between him and the basket. Right hand, left shoulder in the post. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. Do your work early and get him off of the block. His percentages will go down the further off of the block you make him catch it. Don’t help up off of him at the rim and give up a dunk. Very good offensive rebound. Find him and make contact when the shot goes up. Box out! No dunks for him.

#3 El Ellis: 6’3″ 180 lbs, Graduate Student Guard

5.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.6 apg

Talented backup guard. Dynamic playmaker, but very inefficient. We want to stay between him and the basket at all times and be ready to contest when he shoots. Be close enough to contest the obvious catch-and-shoot 3s, but more worried about him as a right-hand driver. Better and more aggressive as a right-hand driver. NO RIGHT-HAND DRIVES!!! He likes to use the left-to-right crossover on the perimeter. You can go UNDER the ballscreens and handoffs. Always should be giving him a step or two so you can stay between him and the basket. Give a hard contest to all of the pull-up jump shots. Make him score over you. Get the ball stopped in transition. No right-hand drives. No layups. More shots than points for him.

#24 Jeremiah Davenport: 6’6″ 215 lbs, Graduate Student Guard/Forward

5.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.9 apg

Physical, athletic, backup wing. Very willing shooter. 60 of 87 shots have been 3s. However, he is shooting just 28.3% from 3. You need to be there to contest the obvious catch-and-shoot 3s. Help off of him, but don’t go so far that you can’t close out and give a hard contest to his catch-and-shoot 3s. Once you are there on the initial catch-and-shoot you need to bounce back and guard against the right-hand drive. No right-hand drives! Be ready for him to physical at the end of his right-hand drives. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. He has been a better 3-point shooter over the course of his career so we need to respect him from 3. No catch-and-shoot 3s. No straight line, right-hand drives.

#15 Makhi Mitchell: 6’10” 240 lbs, 5th Year Senior Center

4.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.8 apg

Physical backup 5-man. Looking to score around the basket. Will ballscreen and roll to the basket. Capable of catching it on the roll and scoring. You need to give ground and stay lower than him to take away the layups and dunks on the roll. Don’t help up off of him at the rim and give up a dunk. Right hand, left shoulder in the post. Be physical and get him off of the block. His percentages will go down the further off of the block you make him catch it. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. Excellent offensive rebounder. You need to make contact when the shot goes up. Box out! Make him score everything with you between him and the basket. No left shoulder baskets. No layups or dunks for him!

#6 Layden Blocker: 6’2″ 175 lbs, Freshman Guard

3.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 apg

Long, athletic backup guard. He is a non-shooter. 0-6 from 3 this season. You do not need to guard him all the way out on the perimeter. Much better and more aggressive as a right-hand driver. No right-hand drives!!! Help off of him when he doesn’t have it and then close out short to stay between him and the basket. Go UNDER the ballscreens and handoffs. You should always be giving him a step or two in order to cut off the right-hand drives. Do not over-help when he is driving it. Just make him score contested 2s. Stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. He will fly in from the perimeter to offensive rebound. You need to find him and make contact when the shot goes up. No right-hand drives. No layups for him!

Arkansas Razorbacks Offense

When watching the Arkansas Razorbacks on film their offense simply looks disjointed. The metrics would certainly back up the eye test. Per KenPom, the Razorbacks are 120th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 200th in effective field goal percentage at 49.9%. They rely heavily on getting to the foul line, shooting over 26 free throws per game, and derive nearly 25% of their points from there. Having to rely on free throws to power your offense is generally not a recipe for success. Arkansas will look to push the pace a little bit, they are at their best offensively in transition but really struggle with half-court execution. They set a lot of ballscreens and run sets out of a Horns alignment in the half court. Kentucky’s defense isn’t the toughest to play against, but this offense struggles to score.

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If we can keep Arkansas from getting easy baskets like this then it will be hard for them to score enough to win. You have to get all the way back in transition. There is way too much back-pedaling in this clip. Protect the basket, stop the ball, and matchup beginning with the next most dangerous guy. We can’t give up layups in transition.

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The Razorbacks use a whiteboard to call their plays from the sidelines. This is “wide touch fist.” If you break it down, the “wide” part is the early staggered double, “touch” is the quick hand-off, and “fist” is the middle ballscreen. #12 Mark is by far their best offensive player. Our shot-blocking ability has to result in true rim protection on Saturday night. South Carolina did a good job of being between Mark and the basket, but we need to get them to miss this shot. Also, the defense from the corner is an example of “you need to be doing something.” He obviously isn’t taking away #3 Ellis in the corner, but then also didn’t do anything to cut off the left-hand drive by Mark.

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Coach Musselman runs a lot of half-court sets out of a Horns alignment. This action starts with a staggered double to the corner which #4 Davis back cuts. After the initial action, they flow into their 4-around-1 Motion. We can guard #15 Mitchell straight up in the post, but you have to stay down, wall up, and make him score over you. You have to make him score with you between him and the basket.

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This play gets blown up a little bit by the Ole Miss defense, but here is a look at another Horns action that the Arkansas Razorbacks will run. This is a simple Zoom action, but the Rebels do a great job of taking it away with their defensive pressure. However, later in the possession, we can’t give up a left-hand drive to #4 Davis. There is no reason to be guarding him 30 feet from the basket. If you don’t get beat off of the dribble then there is no need to help at the rim and give up the layup. Stay between Davis and the basket. He is looking to drive it left!!!

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Success or failure on the defense end of the floor on Saturday is going to come down to discipline. Are you disciplined enough to not fly at #4 Davis on the perimeter? Will you play with enough concentration to not bite on a shot fake and fly by a 23% three-point shooter? If you stay between Davis and the basket it’ll be really hard for the Razorbacks to score enough to win the game.

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Again, a lot of guarding the Arkansas Razorbacks will come down to discipline. We have to be sound enough off of the ball to not lose a shooter like #12 Mark. If we simply contest every shot it will be hard for them to score enough to win the game. However, if we run at the ball and get lost consistently it’ll allow them to get confidence with open looks. You should not be helping off of Mark. Stay tight to him at all times. No 3s!

Arkansas Razorbacks Defense

Over the last three seasons, the Arkansas Razorbacks have finished 10th, 11th, and 17th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. Even in Coach Musselman’s first season in Fayetteville, they were 57th. Now, they’ve faced a serious regression to 109th. They are one of the worst in the country at forcing turnovers and are really struggling on the glass. Arkansas does still protect the rim and blocks as many shots as any team in college basketball, but that is about their only strong suit defensively. In terms of scheme, the Razorbacks are primarily a man-to-man team but will mix in some full-court pressure and even a zone look from time to time. In their typical man-to-man they try to keep the ball on a side which should also use some runways to attack the rim. Be aggressive and go score 90 on these guys.

Keys to the Game

• Force contest jump shots. They aren’t good enough offensively to win unless they lay it up at the rim and shoot uncontested 3s. We need to keep a guy on a guy, stay between them and the basket, and contest everything. Hold them under their averages. Under 50% effective goal percentage.
• Control the glass. The Arkansas Razorbacks are not a good rebounding team. We need to take advantage of that at both ends. 30%+ on the offensive glass. 77%+ on the defensive glass.
• Dictate the pace. We let South Carolina control the pace on Tuesday night. Get back to playing fast and loose. Arkansas generally doesn’t mind playing fast either, so this should be played at 75+ possessions.
• Shoot 75% or better from the free throw line.