Oklahoma moves to 9-0 on the season after dispatching Arkansas 79-70

Oklahoma continues to stack wins as they earn they move to 9-0 after defeating future SEC foe Arkansas in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday 79-70.

Oklahoma is currently wrecking their competition. Everything is working for the Sooners.

Saturday was another example of that, moving to 9-0 after roasting the Arkansas Razorbacks 79-70 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla., late Saturday afternoon.

Do not be fooled. The nine-point final score is hardly indicative of what took place from the last quarter of the first half onward. Some garbage time baskets shouldn’t take away from how much better Oklahoma looked than Arkansas.

Oklahoma set the tone from the beginning, as their defense set the tone for the entire game in the first half. The Sooners were elite defending the perimeter, holding Arkansas under 30 percent from distance in the first half.

The game went back and forth for much of the first 20 minutes, with no one having more than a five-point lead.

Rivaldo Soares led the way with nine points and four rebounds in the first half. Porter Moser’s club was also quicker and more dominant on the boards, holding a 19-11 edge.

The Sooners did a terrific job guarding Trevon Brazile, Arkansas’ all-SEC caliber player and a potential first-rounder. He was held to zero points. A 14-2 run to end a first half where Oklahoma shot 58 percent from the field and had 26 points that put the Sooners up 12 at halftime.

Oklahoma would come right out of the half and deliver another flurry to the Arkansas Razorbacks. Arkansas’s head coach, Eric Musselman, was ejected around the 15-minute mark after a disagreement with an official. From there, the wheels came off for the Hogs as Oklahoma pushed out to a 19-point lead before assistant coach Keith Smart of Arkansas was forced to call a timeout.

Javian McCollum continued his ascent as one of college basketball’s best players, pouring in 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Otega Oweh chipped in 14 points on 6/7 shooting(2/2 from three) from the field.

Razorbacks guard Tramon Mark came into the game as the Hogs’ leading scorer, yet he was held to just 10 points. Khalif Battle, another scoring guard for Arkansas, was just 2/10 from the field and amassed 13 points, with eight coming via the free-throw line.

The Sooners will now focus on a home game versus the Green Bay Phoenix next Saturday.

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Remember when: 36 years ago Arkansas assistant Keith Smart lifted Indiana to national title

It was 36 years ago – March 30, 1987 – now-Arkansas assistant coach Keith Smart won Indiana the national championship.

Arkansas assistant basketball coach Keith Smart is known in Hogs country for that gig, one he’s held since 2021. In the NBA, Smart is best known as the former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

But, let’s be honest. Smart’s legacy is tied to his college playing days. Somehow, we don’t think he minds.

On this day, March 30, in 1987, Smart hit a baseline jumper in the national championship game with just four seconds left to lift Indiana to the title over Syracuse. Smart would intercept the Orange’s inbounds pass on their ensuing possession to clinch things.

“When something like that happens,” Smart told WholeHogSports in 2021, “I’ve always said that moment chases you.”

The Hoosiers’ win remains the most recent of Indiana’s five national titles.

Smart would play professionally in the NBA, Venezuela, in the World Basketball and the CBA, among others, before becoming a coach in 1997. It was in the Contentintal Basketball Association where his path would cross with Eric Musselman. The two would coach together at Golden State in 2003 and 2004 before Musselman brought him onboard with the Razorbacks.

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Marcus Smart on DPOY: ‘Guards not winning it, that’s some BS’

Keith Smart: Marcus Smart on guards not winning Defensive Player of the Year in a long time: “I don’t understand why it’s so hard for guards to win it….Guards not winning it, that’s some BS. You got me and Rob not even in the discussion for it. On …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Marcus Smart is giving a monologue on why he should be defensive player of the year.
We sat down to dive deep into his case back in 2020 on @The Athletic
theathletic.com/1801040/2020/0…10:49 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart: “You put me in front of anybody, I guarantee we’re gonna have a battle. And I guarantee they don’t want to see me neither.” – 10:49 PM
Tom Westerholm @Tom_NBA
Marcus Smart just made a fairly bitter and fairly reasonable argument that guards should be able to win Defensive Player of the Year. – 10:48 PM
Brian Robb @BrianTRobb
Marcus Smart: “I don’t play the game for the individual accolades, I play to win games.” – 10:48 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart: “I don’t see why it’s so hard for a guard to win (Defensive Player of the Year).” – 10:48 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart on guards not winning Defensive Player of the Year in a long time: “I don’t understand why it’s so hard for guards to win it….Guards not winning it, that’s some BS. You got me and Rob not even in the discussion for it. On the best defensive team in the league.” – 10:48 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart clearly impressed by Cade Cunningham. Said Cunningham has a Jayson Tatum type personality, doesn’t say much even as he’s playing well. – 10:44 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart on Cade Cunningham: “Shoooot. Being a Dallas kid, an Oklahoma State kid, I’ve been knowing Cade since before we were here. If you don’t do it, he’s going to bring it. He did a great job early on. And he didn’t say anything. Just did his work.” – 10:44 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Marcus Smart: “That’s the defense we’ve been playing. That’s what we try to pride ourselves on. We slipped early on, but we picked up late.” – 10:42 PM
Jay King @ByJayKing
Marcus Smart: “Just one of those games. Detroit played hard. We all say they’re a lot better than their record says.” – 10:41 PM
John Schuhmann @johnschuhmann
Jayson Tatum’s having an incredible last few weeks, but it doesn’t matter, because he blew the layup on what would have been the Dime of the Year from Marcus Smart. pic.twitter.com/tPMoZi361l9:39 PM

Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Cade Cunningham had 18 points at the half. Marcus Smart has guarded him for most of the third quarter, without a lot of switching and Cunningham has just two points. – 9:17 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
The game gets physical, chaotic and messy? That’s Marcus Smart time. – 9:13 PM
James Edwards III @JLEdwardsIII
Marcus Smart has been ridiculously good tonight.
Celtics are up by three with 3:57 left in the 3Q. – 9:12 PM
Keith Smith @KeithSmithNBA
Celtics starters tonight:
Robert Williams
Al Horford
Jayson Tatum
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Pistons starters:
Marvin Bagley III
Jerami Grant
Saddiq Bey
Cade Cunningham
Cory Joseph – 7:08 PM
John Karalis @John_Karalis
Robert Williams says Marcus Smart should be the DPOY. He just spent 2 answers calling Smart a great leader many times, explaining how Smart calls out opponent plays/tendencies that lead to Celtics steals. Williams says his defensive grit & drive comes from Smart – 11:07 AM
Jared Weiss @JaredWeissNBA
Asked Rob Williams if he thinks he should win DPOY, but he gives his vote to Marcus Smart. – 11:05 AM

More on this storyline

Doncic would claim, quite incredulously, that he initially believed Gobert threw him to the court before a video replay revealed the absence of anything: “I thought it was the worst, and then I saw it and it was nothing,” Doncic said. “We were all laughing on the bench.” Gobert was not laughing. Instead, he was fuming about an apparently constant stream of over-the-top comments emanating from the deep reserves on Dallas’ bench. “There’s a lot of things being said that wouldn’t be said outside a basketball court. A lot of things I don’t say,” Gobert explained. “I’m not perfect, but I don’t say things to guys that I wouldn’t tell them to their face outside the locker room. It’s a lot of talk.” -via Salt Lake Tribune / March 8, 2022
“The officials have got to get to a point where they check — on both sides — that no lines have been crossed, verbally or with actions,” he said. “There was a lot of things being said out there. At some point, we’re men, too. My thing is, I’ve gotta keep my mind in the right place. My team needs me in the game. “You’ve got guys on the bench that don’t play that just keep talking and saying some stuff, and the officials can hear and they don’t do anything. As a man, it’s like, is it worth being suspended? We shouldn’t have to ask ourselves that question,” Gobert continued. “[The refs] have to do a better job keeping that in check. It’s actions, but the words carry weight. If someone is disrespected, at some point, as men, we’re gonna ask ourselves: Do we want to stay on the court, or penalize our team and stand up for ourselves? I usually take the first option.” -via Salt Lake Tribune / March 8, 2022
Later, as the first half expired, Doncic drove the lane, looked for a foul, did not get one, and began chirping at the referees for the umpteenth time, prompting an annoyed Gobert to toss the ball to him as he began to exit the court. That led to Doncic trying to fire the ball back at Gobert, and for the players to be separated. Doncic was subsequently assessed a technical. “They’re two, three games ahead of us and it was a big game. So those games are going to get chippy at some point,” Doncic would tell reporters afterward. “… Just, you know, emotions. That’s it.” -via Salt Lake Tribune / March 8, 2022

Beyond the Box: Reborn on the Bayou

If the 2021-22 Razorbacks make another magically run deep into March, we may all look back to this game at Baton Rouge as the turning point.

If the 2021-22 Razorbacks make another magical run deep into March, we may all look back to this game at Baton Rouge as the turning point. It was the type of gritty road win you’d expect from a good team. It’s a unifying event that could signal the turning of a corner for a team that still has time to put it all together. And it was all done with its head coach back in Fayetteville recovering from surgery.

Assistant coach Keith Smart took over game day operations and rose to the moment just like he’s done in the past. No, it wasn’t a clutch jumper in a championship game. But he was cool under pressure after LSU built an 8-point lead with 8:00 to play, and that attitude clearly rubbed off on his team.

As usual, we will take a look here at a few things that jump out from the game that you won’t see in the standard box score.

How to Watch: Arkansas at LSU

Arkansas basketball heads into play this afternoon without its head coach as Eric Musselman continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Assistant Keith Smart will serve as the interim head coach this afternoon.

Arkansas basketball heads into play this afternoon without its head coach as Eric Musselman continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Assistant Keith Smart will serve as the interim head coach this afternoon. Arkansas is coming off a Wednesday thrashing of Missouri and looks to pick up its second SEC win of the season against a talented, tough LSU squad.

The Hogs (11-4, 1-3) got thrashed themselves in their last visit to Red Stick. The 2020-21 Razorbacks got humbled at LSU last year, losing 92-76 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score suggests. Arkansas turned the tables on the Tigers in their February rematch at Bud Walton before losing again to LSU in the SEC Tournament. Arkansas is 34-29 against LSU since joining the SEC, though the Tigers have won 18 of 29 games played in Baton Rouge during that time.

LSU is coming off a road win at Florida on Wednesday, a game in which they played without star point guard Xavier Pinson. He missed the game after suffering a knee injury against Tennessee last weekend and is also expected to miss today’s game. Razorbacks guard Kamani Johnson, who started on Wednesday against Missouri, is listed as doubtful for the game with an ankle injury.

Tip off from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge is 1:00pm and can be seen on ESPN2.

How to Watch

When: 1:00 p.m.

Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Traditional TV: ESPN2

Online live stream: ESPN.com/watch

For those seeking the radio broadcast of the game, you can find the complete list below. In Northwest Arkansas, KQSM 92.1 FM will be the broadcaster this season. In central Arkansas you can find the game on KABZ 103.7 FM.

Arkansas radio affiliates

Batesville, KWOZ-FM, 103.3

Camden, KCXY-FM, 95.3

Crossett, KAGH-FM, 104.9

Crossett, KAGH-AM, 800

DeQueen, KDQN-FM, 92.1

DeWitt, KDEW-FM, 97.3

El Dorado, KMRX-FM, 96.1

Fayetteville, KQSM-FM, 92.1

Forrest City, KBFC-FM, 93.5

Fort Smith, KERX-FM, 95.3

Glenwood, KHGZ-FM, 98.9

Glenwood, KHGZ-AM, 670

Hot Springs, KTTG-FM, 96.3

Jonesboro, KEGI-FM, 100.5

Little Rock, KABZ-FM, 103.7

Magnolia, KZHE-FM, 100.5

Marshall, KBCN-FM, 104.3

Mena, KTTG-FM, 96.3

Mena, KENA-FM, 104.1

Monticello, KGPQ-FM, 99.9

Morrilton, KCON-FM, 99.3

Mountain Home, KOMT-FM, 93.5

Ozark, KDYN-FM, 96.7

Ozark, KDYN-AM, 1540

Searcy, KRZS-FM, 99.1

Texarkana, KKTK-AM, 1400

Wynne, KWYN-FM, 92.5

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Muss Bus in the Shop: Arkansas Coach to Miss Games

Arkansas men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman will not be patrolling the sideline this weekend when the Hogs play in Baton Rouge against #12 LSU. According to a press release from the university this morning, Musselman had surgery this morning to repair a torn rotator cuff.

Arkansas men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman will not be patrolling the sideline this weekend when the Hogs play in Baton Rouge against #12 LSU. According to a press release from the university, Musselman had surgery this morning to repair a torn rotator cuff. From the release:

University of Arkansas head men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman had successful surgery today to repair a full tear of the supraspinatus tendon and partial tears to the infraspinatus and subscapularis tendons in his left shoulder. Coach Musselman is expected to miss at least two games, starting with the Razorbacks’ game at LSU this Saturday (Jan. 15).

Assistant coach Keith Smart will take over game day coaching duties for Musselman. Smart previously served as the head coach for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings.

According to a league source, if the …

According to a league source, if the Knicks made an in-season coaching move one of two assistants – Mike Miller or Pat Sullivan – would likely be promoted. Miller coached the Knicks G League affiliate. Coincidentally, assistant coaches Keith Smart and Kaleb Canales all have head coaching experience. Royal Ivey, who has drawn interest around the league over the summer, and Jud Buechler would not be under consideration.