Arkansas will travel to Bloomington on Sunday to play the Hoosiers in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The matchup will be Indiana's final non-conference game of the regular season before the Hoosiers enter 18 consecutive Big Ten games.
Indiana’s Sunday matchup against Arkansas in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is, like so many other things around the New Year, a beginning and an end for the Hoosiers – the beginning of the toughest stretch of their schedule and the end of the non-conference schedule.
Arkansas, according to KenPom.com, will provide the most even matchup with Indiana, in terms of efficiency. Indiana is rated No. 34 in the nation, and the Razorbacks are No. 37. That’s higher than Wisconsin (51) and Notre Dame (66) but still lower than Florida State (17). Indiana’s ability to play up or down to its opponent will, for the most part, be neutralized by Arkansas’ early success but also by the fact that Arkansas likes to play the same type of basketball as Indiana, which will be further discussed below.
Following Arkansas, Indiana will play 18 consecutive Big Ten games, so finishing off the non-conference schedule will be pivotal to the way the Hoosiers enter conference play.
What It Means
Indiana has been in plenty of slugfests already this season, and that trend won’t die as the Hoosiers enter the Big Ten season. Arkansas has many vulnerabilities, but if the Razorbacks make up for those vulnerabilities, as teams have done against Indiana recently, this could be another slugfest that Indiana will need to win for 40 minutes.
The Hoosiers could use a big win to round out a non-conference season that, before entering the Florida State game, seemed daunting and bleak given performances against certain sub-150 teams.
A win against Arkansas would mean a one-loss stretch through the toughest half of Indiana’s non-conference schedule, even if it hasn’t been pretty.
Arkansas wins by defense
This is where Arkansas mirrors Indiana – it’s emphasis on defense. No, Indiana hasn’t been the strongest team defensively, but overall, it’s ranked No. 56 in the nation on that side of the floor and Archie Miller’s focus is proven to be on that aspect of the team. Arkansas is No. 10. Where Indiana differs from Arkansas in this vein is that its offense tends to feed off its defense, where the Razorbacks need their defense as a weapon.
Arkansas is like Notre Dame in that it enters its game against Indiana not having beaten any top-100 opponents. In fact, Arkansas has only played one top-100 team in No. 95 Western Kentucky, which resulted in the team’s only loss. Many of the defensive statistics can stem from that schedule.
Regardless, Arkansas’ strategy is to limit the number of possessions. The Razorbacks have the second-best opponent assist-to-turnover ratio in the country, and the numbers only stack up from there. Their allowed assists is the 10th-lowest in the country, steal percentage is 10th, block percentage is 37th, opponent turnover percentage is 12th and opponent effective field goal percentage is sixth.
Even without the tougher schedule, Arkansas is proven to be sound on defense.
Watch out for trio of guards
Arkansas junior guard Mason Jones is a top-50 scoring threat in the country. He records 19.6 points per game, and those points don’t typically come from three. He attacks the basket and gets to the line, hitting 93 percent of his free throws. But Jones isn’t the only threat for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas has a trio of guards – Isaiah Joe, Jimmy Whitt and Jones – who have pulled their team to where it’s at now. They’re the only three contributors to average more than 10 points per game, Joe takes more than 10 threes per game and Whitt attacks inside. Between the three of them, they average about 15 rebounds, eight assists, six steals and 51 points per game.
On a team that averages 75 points per game, the three guards are the heartbeat for this Arkansas team, and that translates to the defensive side as well.
Weak three-point shooting
There aren’t a lot of three-point shots in any game involving the Razorbacks. Arkansas forces the lowest three-point percentage in that nation, but it also can’t hit threes either. The Razorbacks rank No. 304 in three-point percentage.
The result is a lot of points in the paint.
That’s where Indiana has played well on offense, particularly when its guards are driving. The Hoosiers are No. 39 in the country in two-point percentage. Arkansas doesn’t take many shots from two-point range, which is relative given that it likes to limit offensive opportunities, but it hits on 56 percent of them. That’s No. 31 in the country.
Senior guard Jimmy Whitt, at 6-foot-3, takes the most two-point shots per game, with just over 11, which leads into the next point.
A very short team
Arkansas is one of the shortest teams in the country. According to KenPom, its height rates No. 281 in the nation. No regular contributor measures taller than 6-foot-8. No starter is taller than 6-foot-6.
The Razorbacks barely crack the top-300 in total rebounds this season, averaging 35 rebounds per game, and their leading rebounders are 6-3 Whitt and 6-foot-5 guard Mason Jones, who both average around six rebounds per game.
Clearly, though, size hasn’t mattered for Arkansas thus far, or it at least hasn’t outweighed their tenacity on defense.
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