Razorbacks Beat Wildcats, 85-72

Arkansas picks up a 85-72 win over Abilene Christian on Tuesday afternoon without Eric Musselman. The Head Coach was forced to go into quarantine after being in contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. Assistant Coach Clay Moser was also not seen on the bench.

Arkansas played a really solid game tonight. Abilene Christian has held opponents to 55 points a game this year, but the Razorbacks were able to score 85. The Wildcats also have forced 23.9 turnovers per game to this point, but the Hogs only turned it over 13 times.

The Hoop Hogs led by as many as 22 in the 2^nd half, but Abilene Christian wouldn’t go away.

Moses Moody was special tonight. He played 37 minutes and tallied 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 block. The freshman shot 6-10 from the field and 3-5 from 3.

Jalen Tate twisted his ankle midway through the 2^nd half and didn’t play the rest of the game. Before the injury, Tate produced 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. JD Notae added 19 points off the bench.

Arkansas held ACU to 23% from 3 as incredible 3-point defense continues to be a staple of a Musselman coached team.

The Razorbacks did what they needed to do with this softer non-conference schedule. 8 games. 8 wins. 8 double-digit wins. It is hard to complain about the results. I still have concerns about the team. Finishing around the rim has been poor. 3-point shooting is up and down. Shot selection could be better.

The chemistry has really come along, but I question the rotation. I believe in Eric Musselman and fans should too. The improvement of the program is undebatable. BUT my question would be where is KK Robinson? The freshman has not received much playing time at all. He has struggled with fouling when guard the ball handler, but I don’t know if JD Notae is the answer as the #2 point guard option. I have really enjoyed Notae off the ball. I would like to see Robinson get some extended run. He has played very short spurts in the last few games. I want to see more.

Arkansas begins SEC play in 8 days on December 30^th at 6pm on the road at Auburn. It will be the first real test of the season. Whatever expectations you had, throw them out. We will learn a lot about this Arkansas team on the Plains.