Tag: Jalen Graham

Arkansas hoops looks to even record on trip to College Station

Texas A&M is Arkansas’ all-time most-faced team, holding a 107-61 series advantage.

After falling below .500 for the first time in Head Coach Eric Musselman‘s tenure, the Arkansas basketball team (12-13, 3-9 SEC) will try to even its record again Tuesday night with a trip to Texas A&M.

The Razorbacks have lost three of their last four games, as Musselman continues to seeks ways to overcome injuries and inconsistent play on the court.

Arkansas was down two primary big men Saturday in a 71-67 loss at Mississippi State, after having the lead with a minute to play. Sophomore Trevon Brazile has remained out with a recurring knee injury since a loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 24. Senior Jalen Graham missed Saturday’s game with an inured shoulder, sustained in a loss to No. 8 Tennessee last Wednesday.

It is unknown if either player will return against the Aggies.

Texas A&M (15-10, 6-6 SEC) is Arkansas’ most-common opponent all-time in a series that dates back 100 years. In 168 previous meeting between the two schools, Arkansas has a 107-61 overall advantage, which gives them more wins against the Aggies than any other team.

The schools were each charter members of the now-defunct Southwest Conference from 1927-91, until the Razorbacks left for the Southeastern Conference, A&M joined them in the SEC in 2012.

Arkansas won this season’s first showdown in Fayetteville, 78-77, on junior Tramon Mark‘s buzzer beater, after the Hogs squandered a 20-point lead.

The Aggies are coming off of two losses, including a 74-73 defeat at Vanderbilt last Tuesday and Saturday’s 100-75 blowout to No. 15 Alabama.

Tuesday’s game will tip at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

The firm of Mitchell, Graham and Lawson putting in work for Razorbacks

Makhi Mitchell the complete package. Jalen Graham the scorer. Chandler Lawson, the enforcer. Arkansas needs all three.

The disappointment of Arkansas basketball’s 2023-24 season is clear. That doesn’t mean, though, all is awry.

Arkansas has to, basically, win the SEC Tournament in March to make a fourth straight NCAA Tournament and have a shot at extending its Sweet Sixteen run to four, as well. Odds are long. They’re not impossible.

A big reason why is the improved play of Arkansas’ big-man corps over the last two weeks. The center-forward trio of Makhi Mitchell, Chandler Lawson and Jalen Graham have found their best run of the year in Arkansas’ last few games and have helped the Hogs stave off the cellar.

If that sounds like a backhanded compliment, it is. Not toward Mitchell, Lawson and Graham, each of whom bring a different element to Arkansas’ front line.

Mitchell is the most complete of the three. In his second season with the Razorbakcs, the Rhode Island transfer’s numbers have dipped this season compared to last. Only Eric Musselman could tell you why last year’s starting center has found far fewer minutes this season.

Mitchell’s numbers are finding their way back up now. He’s played in 25 minutes or more each of the last four games while averaging almost 14 points and nine rebounds per game over that span and shooting a career-best 81% from the free-throw line. Toss in two assists a game and seven total blocks and he’s been the Hogs’ best player in February.

Graham is the offensive specialist. A player who never found a regular role in his first season from Arizona State, defense and rebounding held him back last year. Neither are exception this year, but good enough to earn more consistent minutes. His scoring touch, always the best of the three, has stayed strong, too, as he’s averaging double figures in his last three games.

Lawson is the defensive and rebounding specialist. His numbers have taken a dive with the emergence of Mitchell and Graham in recent weeks, but it’s not a slack on Lawson’s play, but instead a matchup thing with limited numbers to go around. Lawson is never going to fill it up – he has just one game in double figures – but coach Eric Musselman has counted on him for toughness and awareness in the paint as Lawson still leads all the bigs in minutes per game.

Whether their play of recent weeks is enough for Arkansas to dig at least somewhat out of its SEC hole remains to be seen. Either way, without them, the Hogs would have no chance.

Arkansas vs. LSU: How to watch, stream, listen, key players and more

Can the Eric Musselman’s Hogs start their first winning streak of SEC play when they face LSU today? Here’s how to catch all of the action.

The Arkansas Razorbacks (11-10, 2-6 SEC) have a golden opportunity to begin their first SEC winning streak of the season when they face the LSU Tigers (11-9, 3-4 SEC) later today.

Following the team’s 91-84 win over Missouri on Wednesday, the Hogs arrive in Baton Rouge with some newfound swagger and momentum that had been absent in their last eight contests.

[autotag]Tramon Mark[/autotag] looks to build off of another stellar offensive performance, where he eclipsed 20 points for the seventh tme this year. [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] are also coming off of arguably their best performances of the season.

Mitchell tied his career-high in points, 19, to go with 14 rebounds. It was his second straight double-double as he also notched 13 points and 12 rebounds in last Saturday’s loss to Kentucky.

Graham was extremely active on both ends of the floor on Wednesday and stuffed the stat sheet. He finished with 19 points, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks, in what was easily his best defensive performance as a Hog.

The Pete Maravich Center in Baton Rouge hasn’t been the most friendly arena for the Razorbacks in recent years. They’ve only won one out of their last four games at LSU, the most recent one being last season’s disappointing 60-57 loss on the same night as the football team’s thrilling Liberty Bowl win over Kansas.

Entering Saturday’s game the Tigers are rested yet wounded as they’ve lost three straight games. Their last outing being a 109-88 blowout loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

It’s a prime opportunity for the Razorbacks to get another win and here’s how you can watch, listen and stream all of the action.

Musselman pleased with recent performance of Mitchell, Graham and Lawson

Eric Musselman had nothing but praise for the trio of Makhi Mitchell, Jalen Graham and Chandler Lawson after team’s 91-84 win over Missouri.

[autotag]Arkansas basketball[/autotag] picked up a much-needed road win over Missouri on Wednesday night and avoided becoming the Tigers’ first victim in SEC play.

The win was, in large part, due to a dominant performance inside from the Hogs’ emerging “three-headed monster” of [autotag]Makhi Mitchell[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] and [autotag]Chandler Lawson[/autotag]. Musselman singled all three out for their recent play following the 91-84 victory on Wednesday night.

“I think our three-headed bigs have been unbelievable,” Musselman said. “Chandler and Jalen and (Makhi) have been oustanding. Not good, but outstanding.”

The trio combined for 38 points and 18 rebounds, and helped Arkansas hold a 26-point advantage over Missouri when it came to points in the paint. Mitchell accounted for 19 points and 14 of the trio’s 18 rebounds. Graham had a phenomenal outing on the defensive end, recording four blocks and three steals to go with his 13 points.

“Jalen is looking at the rim and being super, super aggressive. He had four steals, four assists,” Musselman said. “Chandler continues to do the little things that might not show up in the box score. And (Makhi), when he plays like that, he’s as good as anybody in the country.”

While the team has been without forward Trevon Brazile the last two games, it’s been great to see the trio of Mitchell, Graham and Lawson step up and shine in their individual roles.

Wednesday night’s victory over a hapless, 0-8 SEC team like Missouri might not be the turnaround that spurs this team to the NCAA Tournament, but it could be the beginning of Arkansas salvaging what has been an abysmal season thus far. If they do start to salvage the season, it will be on the continual improvement from Mitchell, Graham and Lawson.

The Hogs will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on ESPN2.

Hogs put away pesky UNC-Wilmington behind Keyon Menifield Jr.’s 32 points

Arkansas was able to put away a pesky UNC-Wilmington behind an incredible offensive onslaught, led by Keyon Menifield’s 32-point performance.

It was an offensive showcase in Bud Walton Arena on Saturday evening as [autotag]Arkansas basketball[/autotag] was able to put away a very pesky UNC-Wilmington team, 106-90. With the win, the Hogs enter SEC play with a 9-4 record on the year.

Both teams showed minimal rust from their extended breaks in the first half as Arkansas shot 15-30 (50%) from the field and UNCW shot 18-33 (54.5%). The first half featured eight ties, eight lead changes and the Hogs appeared to have their hands full.

That was until they went on a late run to gain some much-needed breathing room at halftime, with a 48-42 lead.

The offensive onslaught from both teams continued into the second half, but [autotag]Eric Musselman[/autotag]’s squad was able to fend off any run that UNCW tried to put together. The Hogs led by as much as 19 late into the second half while also never letting the Seahawks get closer than four (59-55).

UNCW kept it around 10 for final stages of the second half and the Razorbacks capped off the win with a slam dunk from Jalen Graham, giving them the final tally of 106-90.

[autotag]Keyon Menifield Jr.[/autotag] was easily the star of the night, scoring 32 points on 8-14 shooting from the field, 3-7 shooting from 3-point land and 13-17 from the charity stripe. He added five assists, four rebounds and only three turnovers.

The Hogs had four other players in double-figures – [autotag]Tramon Mark[/autotag] (18), [autotag]Jalen Graham[/autotag] (16), [autotag]Devo Davis[/autotag] (14), and [autotag]Trevon Brazile[/autotag] (12). Brazile led the team with eight boards while Graham and Davis each had six apiece.

Arkansas is back in action next Saturday when they begin SEC play in Bud Walton Arena against the Auburn Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be on ESPN2.

49ers 2023 rookie report card is mostly useless at halfway point

The #49ers rookie report card is … bare.

The 49ers didn’t pick until late in the third round of the 2023 draft. It didn’t seem like a big deal considering they still walked away with a nine-player class that had a chance to fill a couple of key needs.

There was never a realistic possibility the 49ers’ rookie class had a wide swath of contributors. However, the early returns from that group can’t even be labeled as “not promising” because the reality is a vast majority of the players haven’t had any chance to make a real contribution.

We went through the rookie class and dished out “grades” for their first half performances. It won’t take long to notice a pattern:

Even with all the new faces, could Jalen Graham be Arkansas’ X-factor?

If Graham really has improved, Arkansas isn’t just good, but may be elite.

One of the most common complaints casual Arkansas basketball fans had last year was about how much playing time Jalen Graham had.

The 6-foot-10 forward, entering his second season with the Razorbacks after transferring from Arizona State, would explode offensively in one game, then barely get off the bench in five of the next six. To the average fan, it made little sense.

Those paying attention to both ends of the floor and those who listened to coach Eric Musselman’s press conferences knew. Graham was not exactly known for his work ethic. His defense was poor and his rebounding was a regular mark of negative note by his coach.

Based off the offseason, those habits have changed for the better, Musselman said.

“Jalen Graham’s practice habits are dramatically different than last year. Dramatically,” Musselman said. “He’s done an incredible job of understanding expectations and then following through on his part.”

Graham averaged 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.4 minutes over 31 games last season. Against Florida on February 18, he scored 26 points in 27 minutes on 12 of 15 shooting. The next game, he scored eight in 18 minutes then he played just 33 minutes over the next seven games.

Given the six players expected in Arkansas’ rotation from the transfer portal, if Graham wanted to increase his minutes, he knew he had to have better habits and a better attitude.

He thinks he has developed.

“I want to be one of the guys who contributes to a March run more than I did last year,” Graham said. “Watching from the sideline wasn’t good for me. That’s not who I am. I want to help us win a lot of games.”

Previewing Kansas City’s Week 3 game vs. Bears on Chiefs Wire Podcast

On the latest episode of @TheChiefsWire podcast: @EdEastonJr’s chats w/ #CFL punter Adam Korsak, #49ers LB Jalen Graham & @TheBearsWire’s @BrendanSugrue #CHIvsKC

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This week, we’re previewing the Kansas City Chiefs Week 3 matchup with the Chicago Bears.

We check in with this past week’s press conferences featuring comments from head coach Andy Reid, cornerback Trent McDuffie, and defensive end George Karlaftis. We also flashback to Ed Easton Jr.’s NFL Draft Combine conversation with Canadian Football League punter Adam Korsak, describing his former Rutgers teammate Isiah Pacheco and San Francisco 49ers rookie linebacker Jalen Graham on his former Purdue teammate George Karlaftis.

Lastly, Bears Wire assistant editor Brendan Sugrue breaks down Chicago’s strengths heading into Sunday’s game.

Listeners can look forward to being well-informed about the Chiefs’ mindset heading back home this Sunday, Pacheco and Karlaftis’ impressive legacies left at their respective colleges, and the Bears’ improving roster.

Check out the link below to get your fill of Chiefs talk ahead of Sunday’s kickoff:

Report: 49ers 7th round draft pick LB Jalen Graham makes initial 53-player roster

The seventh round rookie linebacker out of Purdue has reportedly made the 49ers’ initial 53-man roster.

Tuesday marks a busy day in the NFL with the final deadline to cut rosters down to 53 spots looming. 

While many players around the league are being cut or waived as training camp comes to an end, others are securing roster spots as the final 53-player rosters are beginning to become official.

One of the final members of the San Francisco 49ers draft class has reportedly earned a spot on the team. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, linebacker Jalen Graham has made the 49ers’ initial 53-player roster.

Via @mattbarrows on Twitter:

With the No. 255 overall pick (seventh round) in the 2023 NFL draft, the 49ers selected Graham out of Purdue. Graham had a strong performance in the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, recording five tackles, including one tackle for loss.

Graham will slide into a stacked linebacker room in Santa Clara with Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, Oren Burks, Dee Winters, Marcelino McCrary-Ball and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

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Watch out, SEC. Jalen Graham’s practices starting to look like his games

One major highlight? Jalen Graham has added accountability and work ethic to his already-great skill set.

For Arkansas fans who only watched the games last year and didn’t hear or read about coach Eric Musselman’s remarks before or after, one of the biggest questions was why forward Jalen Graham wasn’t getting more run.

Graham, a 6-foot-9 forward with an offensive game unlike anyone else on the Razorbacks’ roster, was the most roller-coaster player on the team. He scored 16 points against North Carolina-Asheville, then played five minutes combine against LSU and Missouri the next two games. He scored 16 against Alabama, then played nine minutes combined against Vanderbilt and Mizzou.

It was the norm, practically. But there was also a reason for it, something casual fans didn’t notice as much as Musselman, his staff and Arkansas opponents. Graham’s defense and rebounding were poor. Not mediocre, but a liability.

Apparently, that’s changing. So far in the offseason, Musselman said, no one has changed more during practice sessions than his dynamic scoring forward.

“Jalen Graham’s practice habits are dramatically different than last year. Dramatically,” Musselman said. “He’s done an incredible job of understanding expectations and following through on his part.”

That was the knock last year. Graham’s sense of urgency when the ball wasn’t in his or his teammates’ hands was lacking. Musselman pointed it out semi-regularly.

Imagine, then, if that is fixed. The guy who scored 26 points in 27 minutes on 12 of 15 shooting against Florida should no longer follow it up with games of eight, two, zero, two, two, zero and two points. Arkansas will have a legitimate scoring threat from anywhere within 15 feet – and with moves to spare – and a capable player on the other end, too, all in one person.

His coach is excited to see things make a 180-degree turn.

“There’s been some evolving even this summer.”

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