Razorbacks stunned, nearly lose exhibition game to East Central University

Arkansas’ severe exhibition game test came one game early.

Anticipating a close contest with defending Conference USA champion and 2021 NCAA Tournament victor North Texas next Saturday in the final of two exhibition games at Walton Arena, Coach Eric Musselman’s Razorbacks, coming off the NCAA Elite Eight, were stunned and nearly defeated Sunday at Walton by the East Central University Tigers of Division II and Ada, Okla.

The Razorbacks trailed by 14 (60-46) with 11:02 left in the game, regained the lead, lost it again down 72-71 with 56 seconds left then regained it and survived a time expiring ECU 3point try to prevail, 77-74.

Exhibition games don’t officially count, but an Arkansas loss to a Division II team just 10-9 last year now under firstyear coach and former Arkansas graduate assistant Max Pendery would have reverberated nationally with the Razorbacks ranked 16th in the preseason AP poll.

The Hogs nearly floundered from making just 17 of 29 free throws, only 2 of the first 9 digging themselves a hole trailing most the first half finished down, 37-35, and getting outscored, 24-6 on 3pointers making just 2 of 16 to ECU’s 8 of 23.

“I am shocked how poorly we shot the ball from the foul line and from three,” Musselman said. “Behind closed doors we have not seen lack of shooting like we did today. There are fifth grade CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) teams that can shoot that good from the foul line.”

The Hogs return just five, only guard Devo Davis as a regular starter and All-SEC sixth man guard JD Notae now starting, and it showed trying to mesh four transfers and a freshman with their holdovers plus minus injured power forward transfers Trey Wade and Kamani Johnson.

“We never played with each other (vs. another team),” Au’Diese Toney, the graduate transfer via the University of Pittsburgh, said. “That’s why we’re having these games now to learn from them.”