What to Know: Arkansas vs. Rogers State
The Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team will play its first of two exhibitions ahead of the 2022-2023 season on Monday. The Razorbacks will take on Rogers State inside Bud Walton Arena at 7 p.m. CT.
While the exhibition will not be televised or streamed, fans can tune into the game on the radio through the Razorback GameDay App.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said Friday that the staff has not settled on a starting lineup, and they will probably go unconventional to start things off.
"We've had probably three meetings today to go through different starting lineups," Musselman said. "Might bring one or two players off the bench that are really starters so that we have some pop off the bench. So who starts, that might not be who the closing lineup is."
Musselman suggested that Arkansas also hasn't figured out the small forward position or the big man spot, seemingly indicating that a few players are cemented in the starting five. Those most likely are Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr., and Trevon Brazile.
The exhibition will provide another opportunity for players to have film to look at against an actual opponent to see what they need to improve on before the official start to the season on Monday, Nov. 7.
"After Monday we'll be able to break down more film for them and I think the more film you have from live competition - it's a little bit easier to teach off of our own video," Musselman said. "I think when you watch practice video, it is what it is, but when you go against someone else I think there's a little bit more eye-catching, maybe."
The team as a whole might not be where Musselman wants them to be, but it is only October. Last season the Razorbacks struggled against Division II East Central University, winning 77-74, but ultimately made another run to the Elite Eight.
Some things to keep an eye on include the team's ability to take and make open shots on the perimeter, seeing if anyone steps up to cement themselves at the five spot, how the team communicates and rotates defensively and if they can limit turnovers.
The team's lack of 3-point shooting has been well-documented by the coaching staff, fans and media alike. With the makeup of this team, it is not out of the question for it to take fewer threes collectively compared to other seasons, but some of those have to go in. Ideally, the Razorbacks can find someone outside of Smith and Ricky Council IV to consistently knock down a perimeter jump shot.
The five-spot has been a rotating door of players stepping up, it seems. Jalen Graham exploded for 25 points in the Red-White game, Kamani Johnson was physically imposing in Europe, and the Mitchell twins (Makhi and Mahkel) both have shown flashes of their productivity after transferring in from Rhode Island.
There's still the possibility of Brazile sliding down to the big man spot and adjusting the lineup from there, but it would be a plus to see some consistency from one of the bigs vying for that spot.
What to know about Rogers State:
The Rogers State Hillcats are a Division II program in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) conference.
Last year, the team went 16-14 (9-13) and they return four key contributors from that roster, including two senior starters Gerren Jackson and Joey Saracco. Saracco is the biggest player on the Hillcats roster at 6-foot-8, 270 pounds. The senior averaged 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in his junior campaign. Jackson, on the other hand, averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Outside of one returning player — Josh Price — the Hillcats don’t boast good shooting percentages. The team shot 33.9% from three last season, with that number even being skewed because of two high-volume shooters each hitting above a 38.0% clip.
Price shot 54.5% last year, but only on 11 attempts. Of the other returners, the best perimeter shooter was Preston Lawrence at 34.4%. Additionally, the Hillcats don’t have much size, as most of their roster is in the 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-5 range.
Head Coach Justin Barkley is entering his 13th season as the Hillcats head coach. When he took over in 2010, the Hillcats were an NAIA program, but made the jump to NCAA Division II in the 2013-2014 season.
Barkley has a strong basketball background, as his father is the head basketball coach at Inola High School in Oklahoma, where he won a state championship, and even won an NCAA Division II National Championship playing for Northeastern State University in 2003.