Arkansas is certainly a sight to see in this conference. Not just because it is really weird not seeing Rotnei Clarke in a red uniform, but also because Mike Anderson has really brought that classic Missouri brand of basketball to this Razorback team. Offensive possessions are plentiful due to high confidence and very quick shots. It is not always pretty, but it is kind of like all their guards are Dee Bost and they show no fear of shooting regardless of what the defense shows. You may think this is a terrible strategy, but we have said it before that one wild shot can completely change the momentum of a game, and the Hogs are just that type of team that is going to hit something crazy. And their defense of course has that same type of aggressiveness. Mike Anderson loves his pressing defense and has taught his team to have very quick hands, which is why they are among the best teams in the nation at stealing the ball and on top of the league at every steal category we calculate. All of this high tempo game has its downsides, like poor rebounding and usually terrible scoring defense but it certainly makes for an interesting game. Also, they are much better in their gym. Good thing for us is that we have actually been more effective on the road this season. Moreover, the fact that Arkansas only has ten scholarship players (two of which are not going to play) really makes a difference.

A huge factor in the game is really going to be rebounding. Not because it is going to be a  close stat, but because we should destroy them in that part of the game. Arkansas is by far the worst team in the conference at grabbing a rebound. And this is especially evident when they are on defense. The Razorbacks struggle to establish any kind of good positioning to grab a defensive rebound, and that could really be the kicker in this game given how well our own Festus Ezeli and Lance Goulbourne have been lately. Not to mention, Jeffery Taylor is one of the better offensive rebounders in the conference. You can expect us to make some noise on the glass for sure. I would say that is the biggest negative of their tempo, especially in a game like this one.

Julysses Nobles is the starting point guard for the Hogs. Really, he is one of the least threatening players that will see the court for them though. He jacks up too many shots and he just cannot find his stoke to save his life. And that especially goes for when he is inside the three-point line, where he is awful. I would not let his one decent game against Mississippi State fool you into thinking he is offensively gifted. I know that sounds harsh, but his inconsistency is just so glaring. Nobles does lead his team in assists, but none of those are really special anyways. Arkansas is really not a great passing team to begin with, and he is not anything breathtaking as is. He can certainly steal the basketball though, and that is without a doubt where he fits into the Arkansas equation. Matter of fact, he has averaged four steals a game in his last two outings. What is really crazy though, is that he is second on his team in rebounds due to the fact that no one in the frontcourt gets many minutes.

It would be the guards that play next to him that pose a major threat offensively. Mardracus Wade and Rickey Scott, two sophomores, shoot much more efficiently than their aforementioned teammate. I would say Wade is the better of the two with his consistency and his work to fight for the better look. Actually, I really think he has a good game if you ask me. Scott can play a big role as well though, and is certainly more effective than Nobles. He is also second on the team when it comes to assisting the ball, but I still do not put much value on that when it comes to this team. As you could probably guess, both of these guys can cause issues for oppositions with their ability to steal the ball. Wade actually leads his team in steals this season, but Nobles is on a pretty good streak at snatching the ball and worries me a little bit more. Arkansas also gets a lot of backcourt help from the bench, but that can be talked about later.

Arkansas’ frontcourt has suffered two injuries. One was to Marshawn Powell, who looked great in his first two games of the season but went down with knee injury that put him out for the season. And the other was to Marvell Waithe, who went down two minutes into the first start of his career two weeks ago against Michigan. I really like him as a role player, but he will probably miss this game unless he can recover quite quickly. So the probable starters are now Michael Sanchez and Hunter Mickelson. Sanchez is a decent player but he is not starting material in my eyes. He does not get many minutes for a starter, nor does he make much noise with them. He may have torched us last season, but I just don’t see it happening again. Mickelson is a freshman who possibly would be a decent player if he was not the master of fouling. I have not seen too many starters attract the whistle like this kid. It really blows my mind, and he does not get many impressive scoring or rebounding stats because of it. His aggressiveness does have something to show for it though, as he is a terrific blocker. Still, the frontcourt for the Hogs is extremely low in depth at this point and only has one player coming off the bench right now.

So let’s talk about their depth then. You may know that Arkansas had quite a good recruiting class last season, and you also may have noticed that only one of those guys have been recognized so far. And that is where guards BJ Young and Rashad Madden come into play. Young has been the leading scorer on the team since Marshawn Powell went down with an injury, and really proves his five-star rating with his minutes. His offensive game is stellar and he is constantly on the attack. He should be a great player by the time he is done playing ball and we will probably be worrying about this guy for a while. Madden is no slouch either, and the four-star prospect has turned into one of the better scorers on the team as well. It is funny, these two freshman play more minutes than any Arkansas frontcourt player on the roster. So yes, the top five guys averaging minutes for the Razorbacks are indeed backcourt players. How wild is that? And the only scholarship player left on the roster is freshman Devonte Abron. He is certainly a solid player in his own right and actually leads all active forwards in both points and rebounds. He should see a lot of minutes due to injuries and fouls.

Honestly, not much scares me about this game now that I have analyzed the Razorbacks. I just worry that our carelessness will really show itself against their aggressive defense, but even then my confidence is still pretty high going into this one. Kevin Stallings knows all about Mike Anderson and will not have our guys unprepared by any means. While their guards can be dangerous, our offense should crush them in the halfcourt when we pound the ball in with Festus or set up some plays for Jeffery Taylor, who should have a great game if he continues showing his high confidence and driving instincts. I suspect we can grind this game out and kill the high tempo game of Missouri with tough basketball that they simply cannot handle due to foul issues and even bigger injury problems.

Vanderbilt wins this game despite a huge crowd in Fayetteville. Should be pulling away late if Jeffery Taylor keeps it up and John Jenkins shows some more game around the basket like he has lately. Having Festus Ezeli back on his game is the big difference maker though.

Go ‘Dores!

An exhibition basketball game may not be the best evidence, but we saw a lot of good things from the squad tonight. Not only did we take care of Xavier (LA) in expected fashion, but without any minor slips midway through to disappoint the fans. Moreover, one freshman in particular really stood out among a game of great statistics.

Kedren Johnson would be that freshman. He contributed a solid sixteen points, nine of which came from the free throw line after Johnson put that much mentioned driving ability to work against the Gold Rush defense. What really stands out from all his other numbers though, was the fact that he put them all up without committing a single turnover. Not only is that amazing because this was his first game and exhibitions are known for their high turnover marks, but it also says a lot about his ball handling abilities as he was able to drive multiple times and attract multiple fouls without giving the ball up. While stats put up against  the NAIA’s finest will not translate to regular season action, it was still rather impressive to me.

Nothing really too exciting other than that. As a team, a lot of guys went the way of Johnson and drove the ball in to get points in the paint with the absence of Festus Ezeli. Check out the notes on the top twelve players below:

• Kedren Johnson: All-around best performance on the team considering circumstances (see above)
• (S) Jeffery Taylor: Scoring rather easily with 17 points off of a few stellar dunks with some solid drives
• (S) John Jenkins: Got 15 after hitting three of four from deep
• (S) Lance Goulbourne: Had 8 points and 8 rebounds in a near double-double, showed solid driving
• Shelby Moats: Jacked up five shots from deep while pulling together 10 points and grabbing five boards
• Rod Odom: Matched Goulbourne with 8 points while getting 4 rebounds while shooting efficiently
• James Siakam: Had 6 points and 3 offensive rebounds but got the fewest minutes of all these players
• Kyle Fuller: Contributed 4 points and a team-high 4 assists
• (S) Steve Tchiengang: Had only 3 points and 3 rebounds with only thirteen minutes of playing time
• (S) Brad Tinsley: Just 5 points while making only one of four shoots from the field
• Josh Henderson: Only 2 points and 1 rebounds in sixteen minutes
• Dai-Jon Parker: Launched an unexpected team-high six shots from deep with only 5 points to show as one of the leaders in playing time

Nothing else to say.

In next winter… man, this is very tough… In next winter I am going to take my talents to Nashville. That was the conclusion I woke up with this morning.

Not only is that the first LeBron James reference I have ever made on this site, but it is also the quote that I am expecting from Dai-Jon Parker. If you want to see his announcement first-hand, then head over to courtcred.com at 8:30 tomorrow night.

I feel a lot more confident about chances in this one than I did on Wednesday. I have been reading a lot of reports and most people are saying that this one is going to go our way. Nevertheless, don’t be too disappointed if we don’t get Parker. Kevin Stallings has already won Kedren Johnson over, and that was our big target in the 2011 class. Dai-Jon Parker would just be a bonus (a really big bonus).

By the way, their calling his announcement “The Decision.” That’s why I pulled out the LeBron James reference.