The Razorbacks are one of three SEC teams with a perfect record so far this season and a huge factor in their success through six games is the lockdown defense they've been playing.
In Mike Anderson's last season, the Razorbacks only held a single opponent under 50, so it's been shocking how good the Hogs defense is this season, even for head coach Eric Musselman.
"We probably didn't think we could be this good defensively this quickly, but they've bought in," Musselman said Wednesday after the sixth win.
The Hogs are currently first in the nation in opponent three-point percentage (14.1%), third in opponent points per game (50), and ninth in total field-goal percentage (35%), which also ranks first in the SEC.
To make sure Arkansas would improve in both sides of the game in his first season on the Hill, Musselman added two immediately eligible grad transfers to the roster in the off-season.
"Obviously Jimmy Whitt has really helped defensively," Musselman said. "I mean, he made two incredible blocked shots against a really good player for Georgia Tech."
Whitt, a former Razorback who transferred to SMU after his freshman year, has been phenomenal on the defensive boards, tied for a team-high with 26, and he's also been a huge asset limiting opponents' possessions. He's the only starter with just seven turnovers and he hasn't had one in the last 130 minutes of play.
Arkansas's defense doesn't come from just one player though, it's a combination of scheme and effort from all five players on the court–and holding the opponent's best scorer to season lows.
"Adrio has done an incredible job defensively with his lack of size and ability to front and knock loose balls and create steals," Musselman added. "Desi has really taken the challenge of guarding maybe some guys who have a few inches on him every night.
"You look at the stars of teams we've played so far, we've done a really good job on the opposing team's star. Isaiah is a phenomenal defender, a really underrated defender."
Arkansas's lack of identity with a new coaching coming in was part of what landed the Hogs towards the bottom of the SEC in the preseason polls. Six games in and the Razorbacks are a top 25 team according to KenPom rankings, and they're likely just a week or two away from making the AP top 25.
"We want to play faster and we want to score more and we want to be able to shoot 3s at a higher rate and make them at a higher rate, but hopefully that will come with time."
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