After a sluggish start against Gardner-Webb that saw the 14th-ranked Razorbacks trailing until the 10 minute mark in the first half, Arkansas was eventually able to pull away and secure an 86-68 win. The Hogs made a statement in the paint by blocking 15 shots, the most by an Arkansas team since 1991.
“I thought we did a great job of altering and blocking shots,” head coach Eric Musselman said in the postgame presser. “We have to become a lot more physical than where we are right now, but certainly rim protection was great.”
It was a standout performance from fifth-year senior big man Makhi Mitchell, who finished with five points, five rebounds, four blocks and two assists.
“He passed the ball well,” Musselman said. “He played within himself, did a good job protecting the rim.”
Mitchell’s passing ability showed as he found Tramon Mark on a backdoor cut to give the Hogs a 16-15 lead, their first of the game, in the first half.
After playing just four minutes and having no stats in the season opener against Alcorn State, the 6-foot-10 forward showed why he should be part of the regular rotation for Musselman just like he was last year.
“He impacts our team in many ways,” guard El Ellis said of Mitchell. “In our last game, he really set the tone with the catch at the elbow. He really gets guys involved. He rebounds it hard, he runs the floor, he sets ball screens for us…he really played well tonight.”
Ellis also spoke about the effect of the team’s shot-blocking ability on their defensive mindset.
“That was a big impact, because us guards, we pressure the ball so much that we’re going to get beat sometimes,” Ellis said. “So to have guys back there that’s going to protect the rim for us…that’s great.”
Musselman said he was pleased with the team’s overall defensive effort, especially their ability to contain Gardner-Webb’s lead guard DQ Nicholas.
“We did a great job on their star player again,” Musselman said. “The whole week we really focused on No. 4, Nicholas, and he went one of nine. So I thought the guys assigned to him, and the other four on the floor, did a great job on their all-league player.”
Up next, the No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks will face the Old Dominion Monarchs inside Bud Walton Arena on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT and the game will stream on the SEC Network Plus.
