The Hogs didn't get back together for practice after the Missouri loss until Monday but Eric Musselman didn't wait to get tape in front of his guys after their abysmal performance.
After shooting 19-71 from the field, shot selection is at the top of the list for the Razorbacks to work on ahead of their Wednesday night matchup versus No. 9 Tennessee.
"I’ve always wanted our teams to play with great freedom offensively and then they pay it back by really putting forth great effort on the glass and defensively," Musselman said Monday before practice. "But I’ve sent a lot of text messages, a lot of phone calls, some individual meetings with guys face-to-face. Our shot selection has got to improve and us sharing the basketball has got to improve. And it’s not one guy."
On 19 made shots, the Razorbacks tallied just seven assists the other night, eight fewer than their average this season. Connor Vanover's 0-11 performance has taken his shooting percentage down from 50% to 42.5% and the Hogs certainly can't afford for Desi Sills to go 1-10, but Musselman was sure to spread the blame around.
"Last year, I thought you could argue we had some questionable shots with Isaiah and Mason, but those guys shot the ball at a really high clip. If guys are going to take difficult shots, you have to shoot them at a high percentage. It’s the first time in five years that I’ve really dug deep into shot selection with players. Again, it’s multiple, multiple players. It’s not just Connor, it’s a lot of guys that have to improve shot selection and improve in sharing the basketball."
Though Arkansas players have taken bad shots or shot quickly in the games leading up to the Missouri loss, the issue was compounded by their inability to finish around the basket. Whether out of desperation to get something going or a lack of respect for Missouri's defenders, the Razorbacks took more "ill-advised" shots than ever before.
"I don't want to use the word selfish. I want to use the word ill-advised shots. I think we have a group of really high-character student-athletes that want to win. That's why we won our first nine games, and we didn't have any hiccups.
"When you play against better teams, you've got to really make extra passes," Musselman continued. "I think the big thing is you've got to respect your opponent. If you're guarding me and you're in my air space, I've got to move the ball. Like, I have to respect your defensive ability."
The Razorbacks have to get the issue corrected quickly with No. 9 Tennessee waiting for them on Wednesday in Knoxville.
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