Winning Ugly Leftover Recipe for Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Little Rock Trojans

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Winning ugly has been the first recipe of Arkansas basketball, and it was the case again in Friday’s 79-67 victory over Little Rock at Bud Walton Arena.

In Arkansas’ four home wins to start the season, the Razorbacks have shown flashes of Final Four potential mixed with the cold water of reality that this team still has a long way to go in the department of consistency.

“We’re an ever-evolving team,” coach John Calipari said. “There are times when I look at us and say, ‘Wow. We’re as good as anyone.’ And then there are other times where I look at us and I say, ‘Wow, we’re as bad as anyone.’ So that just tells you that we can be something.”

The most recent sample size Friday against Little Rock was a prime example of Calipari’s point of view.

Arkansas played arguably its best half of basketball on both ends of the court with crisp ball movement, good shot selection and disruptive, suffocating defense to sprint to a 42-24 lead at the half. time.

After the break, the offense stalled, shots stopped falling, turnovers piled up and the defensive intensity dropped noticeably as the Trojans got as close as seven before the Razorbacks tightened up enough to regain control.

It’s impossible not to notice other SEC and ranked programs turning games that should be blowouts into blowouts as Arkansas becomes more and more prone to playing with its food, but such is the reality for the Razorbacks at the start of a long season.

“Thank God it’s November,” Calipari said. “You have the opportunity to sideline someone, and you’re wrong. So half of it, instead of getting bigger and bigger, we’re up 18.

“The first five minutes of the (2nd) half set the tone for the rest of the game. First five minutes. First play, what did we do? We gave them a layup under the basket. You know how we kept the first half. What happened?

It’s undoubtedly early, but failing to put away inferior opponents has become a theme for Arkansas. While it never really felt like the Razorbacks were in danger of complete collapse, the warning signs are there for when the competition will heat up in the very near future.

A 15-point second-half lead in the opener against Lipscomb was cut to four before Arkansas pulled away with a decisive point late.

The Razorbacks trailed Troy by three early in the second half before flipping the switch and taking control. Pacific cut the lead to just two points with 13 minutes left to serve as a wake-up call for Arkansas to restore order earlier in the week.

To some extent, a roller coaster ride is to be expected for a program with a new coach, new staff and an entirely new team learning to play together, even though many of Arkansas’ peers are currently in difficult situations. similar with different results.

In a roundabout way, controlled adversity is a good thing for Arkansas as Calipari continues to learn more about his team every night.

“Because it became a close game, it ended up being good for us,” Calipari said. “Who’s making plays? Who do you need to take out of the game? Who do you have in the game? What are you trying to do to score?”

Depth, or lack thereof, has played a role in Arkansas’ inability to keep its foot on the gas from start to finish as the team continues to operate with a razor-thin rotation with the front duo -short Trevon Brazile and Jonas Aidoo absent. injuries.

Fatigue was evident at times in the second half against Little Rock, but as junior forward Adou Thiero pointed out after the game, it’s just something the Razorbacks have to get through until they get back to the complete.

“I’m not trying to use this as an excuse, but we have about seven people playing right now,” Thiero said. “We’re waiting for our big two to come back. I know myself, I’ll be a little tired there, I’m still trying to get through, but we just have to keep working. We’ll get there.”

Arkansas’ next opportunity to do just that comes after a short turnaround Monday night when the Razorbacks host Maryland Eastern-Shore in Fayetteville for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Bud Walton Arena.

• The Razorbacks use strong defense and well-timed shots to hold off the Trojans.

• Live Blog: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Little Rock Trojans

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• Arkansas wary of disruptive Trojans defense tonight

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