Razorbacks face Kansas State first in Hall of Fame Classic

Though his Razorbacks last Wednesday won, 93-80, Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman marveled in dismay that the University of North Iowa Panthers hit 17 of 37 threes at Walton Arena.

“They haven’t shot the ball well before they met our defense,” Musselman said wryly. “So, our defense gave them confidence.”

At 8 p.m., tonight, at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Arena televised by ESPN News in their first game away from Walton, the 3-0 16thranked by AP Razorbacks of the SEC meet veteran Coach Bruce Weber’s 2-0 Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 in the first round of the four-team, two-day Hall of Fame Classic.

Pending the outcomes of Monday’s Illinois vs. Cincinnati game, Monday’s winners on Tuesday night will play in the Classic’s championship game preceded by Monday’s losers’ consolation game.

Musselman post the UNI game vowed that his Hogs would spend nearly every available hour working on their 3-point defense. So with K-State hitting 18 of 41 threes in victories over Florida A&M and Omaha, is Musselman glad to see the Hogs’ progress in practice so thoroughly tested?

“If we faced somebody that didn’t shoot the ball well, we would make them shoot the ball well, based on what we’ve done thus far,” Musselman said. “Certainly we don’t want to play a team that their strength is the three-ball, because we have not exhibited at all that we understand the importance … my whole pregame speech going into the Northern Iowa game was about closing out the threepoint shooters and that didn’t work.”

Weber counters that the Hogs’ ability to shoot the thee somewhat rebuts what they’ve allowed.

“They’re shooting 40 percent,” Weber said of Arkansas shooting treys. “Anybody would be happy with 40 percent. But when you’re giving up 43 percent it’s allowed other teams to really stay in games.”

So far what Musselman calls their “spurtability’ for extended runs fueled by an opportunistic defense and streak shooting offense has surged the Razorbacks to 13, 17 and 13point wins over Mercer, Gardner-Webb and Northern Iowa.

Weber attributes Arkansas’ “spurtability” to players like guard JD Notae, 11 steals and 11 assists vs. three turnovers and a team-leading 21.7 scoring average, Jaylin Williams, amazing as a 6-10 center/power forward leading Arkansas’ assists (17), and little sixth-man via University of Miami transfer guard Chris Lykes, 26 points against Northern Iowa.

“Very, very versatile,” Weber said of Notae, Arkansas’ sixth man last year now starting. “He can score in -boom- quick fashion. Then the little guy (Lykes, 5-7) really gave them great pop off the bench. And their leading assist guy is their big guy (Williams), 17 to 5 assists to turnovers. It (with big men) is usually the other way.”

Devo Davis, the Hogs’ sophomore point guard flagrant foul ejected from the Northern Iowa game, returns without any carryover penalties, Musselman confirmed.

Like Musselman with Lykes, Notae, three years ago at the University of Jacksonville), starting forward Au’Diese Toney (a grad transfer via the University of Pittsburgh) among others, Weber has found success via the transfer portal.

Granted an extra year because of last year’s covid disruptions, guard Mark Smith, so familiar to Arkansas after four SEC years at Missouri, starts for K-State now averaging 11.5 points.

K-State 6-9 forward Ismael Massoud played last season for Wake Forest, and 6-10 K-State center Kaosi Ezeagu formerly played at Texas-El Paso.

The Wildcats return 7-footer Davion Bradford, and key guards Nijel Pack, Selton Miguel and Mike McGuirl.

Pack, 7 of 11, and Massoud, 4 of 9, lead K-State’s 3-point shooting parade.

“We’re really going to have to contest the 3-ball,” Musselman said.

“The Wake Forest transfer can really shoot and then Pack is one of the nation’s best shooters. We’ve got to be alert any time Pack has the ball for sure.”

As a former NBA head coach for the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, Musselman said having either 10th-ranked Illinois or traditional power Cincinnati looming Tuesday reminds him of preparing for back to back games.

“Certainly we have a formula for how we will prepare win or lose for the next opponent,” Musselman said. “I won’t start on them until after the Kansas State game is over. Right now the sole focus is how do we win on Monday night.”