About a year ago, the Arkansas basketball team played Texas in Austin in an exhibition game. It didn’t go well and the Razorbacks stumbled through the regular season with a sub-.500 record in SEC play, but ultimately made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Eric Musselman wanted to test his team’s mettle again in 2023-24, so Purdue came down from Indiana to visit Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. Things were far better for the Razorbacks as Arkansas beat the preseason No. 3 team in the country in overtime, 81-77.
The Hogs are loaded with new players. Trevon Brazile and Devo Davis were the only players on last year’s roster who played more than 20 minutes. But the new faces seemed to gel quickly into Musselman’s system. Four of them had double-digit point totals.
They were efficient, too, as Arkansas won largely because of its shooting. The Hogs made 51 percent from the floor and were a respectable 8 of 23 from beyond the arc. With 27 points off the bench and 14 steals, Musselman’s staples – depth and defensive aggression – were on full display.
But Arkansas’ buggaboo from last year held, too. The Razorbacks were outrebounded by a total of 14 and had one whole offensive board with zero second-chance points.
Much of that had to do with Zach Edey, Purdue’s 7-foot-4 All-American center. He had nine rebounds – not a massive total – but his size alone presents difficulties for any opponent in simply getting around or through him.
Large teams gave Arkansas all kinds of trouble last year. The discrepancy on the inside was the biggest reason Connecticut sandblasted Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. It’s likely to be a cause of concern again this year. But based off Saturday’s result, it may not be enough to sink the Hogs’ hopes.
It was just an exhibition game, certainly, but considering Musselman’s teams have taken a good two months or more to start to find their way, the result against Purdue suggests Arkansas may be in store for its best season yet.