Advertisement
Published Dec 19, 2020
Hogs end long break with matchup vs. Oral Roberts
circle avatar
Andrew Hutchinson  •  HawgBeat
Managing Editor
Twitter
@NWAHutch

College Students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95. Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to nchavanelle@yahoo.com.

Advertisement

Not a subscriber? Subscribe for free for 30 days w/code HAWGS30
NEW USERS | RETURNING USERS

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ extended trip to the dentist is coming to an end Sunday afternoon.

After an eight-day break, which head coach Eric Musselman likened to having dental work done, the Razorbacks (6-0) return to Bud Walton Arena for a matchup with Oral Roberts (3-4).

Practice may not be Musselman’s favorite thing, but the layoff did give Arkansas extra time to prepare for a Golden Eagles team that is no stranger to playing high-major opponents.

Although its only wins have been over a Division II program and two NAIA schools, Oral Roberts has been competitive in almost all of its losses. Since a blowout loss at Missouri to open the season, the Golden Eagles had a pair of five-point losses at Wichita State and Oklahoma State, plus a 14-point loss at Oklahoma.

They’re led by point guard Max Abmas, whose 20.7 points per game rank third in the Summit League, and forward Kevin Obanor, who’s contributing 17.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

“They have a star player in (Abmas) and they have another player that's got star quality and that's (Obanor),” Musselman said. “They have really good surrounding pieces…that complement those guys.

“We have to come ready to play. I think it's the toughest game that we've probably played thus far.”

Oral Roberts is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country. Its 12.7 made three-pointers per game ranks second nationally, all while shooting an efficient 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Abmas is the No. 1 threat from deep, as he’s 22 of 48 from three-point range this season - which at 45.8 percent, ranks 17th in the country among players with at least 40 attempts. He is far from the only threat, though, as all five of Oral Robert’s starters have taken at least 20 threes and are shooting combined 38.1 percent.

“The can put five shooters on the floor at a time,” Musselman said. “They’ve got a lot of shooters…so obviously we’re going to have to defend the three-ball for sure, especially with (Abmas).”

One of those starters is a name Arkansas fans might recognize: RJ Glasper.

A prolific scorer from Forrest City, the guard began his collegiate career at Arkansas as a walk-on. However, an injury sidelined him in 2016-17 and then he transferred to Arkansas Tech, a DII program in Russellville.

After three standout seasons with the Wonder Boys, Glasper entered the portal and landed at Oral Roberts as a graduate transfer. He is now a starter and averaging 8.7 points on 38.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

“I wasn't here when he was here, but he's done a great job from 3,” Musselman said. “He's knocking them down at a really good rate. He's good off the bounce. He's a really good player. We're going to have to defend him as well.”

Oral Roberts also likes to play fast, as it is the Razorbacks’ third opponent this season - along with Mississippi Valley State and UCA - that currently has a top-100 adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.

Arkansas scored 142 and 100 points in those games, respectively, as Musselman has shown he isn’t afraid to adjust to the style of play they’re facing.

“We’re not going to slow the game down,” Musselman said. “Offensively, we want to try to put pressure on their defense and get out in transition as well.”

As much as he doesn’t like practice, Musselman said the Razorbacks have used the time off to install more sets and also reemphasizing the basics, like rebounding.

With more size on this year’s team, Arkansas has drastically improved in that area. After being one of the bottom-10 teams in Division I with a minus-6.8 rebounding margin last season, the Razorbacks are 24th nationally at plus-11.5 through six games.

That is despite being minus-2 on the boards against UCA in their last game, which caused Musselman to say they took a step back and need to improve rebounding at all five spots on the floor.

“I thought we’d done a really good job up to that game,” Musselman said. “I thought we had a few too many guys leak out the other night, so that’s some of the things that we’ve tried to correct and address as well these last few days.”

Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.