The Arkansas Razorbacks (12-7, 1-5 SEC) have struggled since league play began, but they eased some of the pressure on Wednesday night with a win over Georgia.
The SEC is a gauntlet this season, as five of the top 10 spots in the latest AP Top 25 Poll are Arkansas' conference peers. There are nine total SEC teams in the Top 25, all of which the Razorbacks have either played or will play this season.
Arkansas stumbled out the gate when SEC play started, with losses to Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, LSU and Missouri. The Hogs were largely uncompetitive in most of those games; the average margin of defeat was 12.2 points and the closest Arkansas came to a win was a 78-74 loss to LSU.
While they're not the worst team in the SEC anymore record-wise, the Razorbacks still face an uphill battle if they want to re-enter the NCAA Tournament picture and play themselves back onto the bubble.
That task gets even more difficult with the loss of freshman point guard Boogie Fland, who underwent successful surgery on his hand and there is "no timetable for his return," according to a release from the school.
With that said, HawgBeat is taking a look at both team and individual stats that Arkansas has this season and how they stack up to the rest of the SEC...
Team Stats
Most of Arkansas' stats have taken a dip since conference play started, most notably in the shooting percentages and points per game. In the last six games, the Hogs haven't shot higher than 45% and they're averaging 64.7 points per game, a steep dive from the 80.4 they were scoring in the non-conference slate.
Where Arkansas improved in its win over Georgia was in the free throw department. The 34 attempts from the charity stripe were the second-most this season only to the Florida game when Arkansas shot 35, but the main difference was in how many it converted. The Hogs converted 29 of their opportunities against Georgia compared to 24 against Florida.
"Coaches told me at halftime to drive the ball and stop settling," Arkansas forward Karter Knox, who attempted 13 free throws Wednesday, said. "I adapted to it really well, started driving it, got fouled. Started going for rebounds, got fouled. I’m too strong, they couldn’t hold me down there. Just going in, being aggressive."
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Rebounding was also much improved on Wednesday, and that's a trend the Hogs will need to continue if they hope to make noise in the SEC. Arkansas was +10 in rebounds against Georgia, and it was the first time the Razorbacks won the rebounding battle since league play began.
"We had to take pride," Arkansas forward Adou Thiero said after the win over Georgia. "Word around the SEC, you know, we’re soft. They’re going to try to come here and punk us. Nah. We had to fix that and show we have fight in us. You’re not going to come in here and punk us around, no matter what."
Winning the rebound battle against Georgia is more significant than it looks, because the Bulldogs are one of the best on the glass in the SEC and rank eighth in total rebounds, sixth in offensive and defensive boards, and are second in opponent rebounds. They only allow their opponents to grab 31.3 boards per game and Arkansas had 40.
SEC-only stats
Arkansas' stats get worse when it comes to conference-only competition, which is not unusual given the level of competition the Hogs (and most other teams in the SEC) played in the non-conference slate compared to the conference.
Still, Arkansas is one of the best in the SEC in blocked shots, tied with Alabama for second at 6.2 per game. Only Auburn ranks higher with 8.4 blocks per game.
Arkansas' rebounding numbers rank in the top half of the conference as well, though that might be attributed to the 40 (18 offensive and 22 defensive) rebounds they gathered against Georgia.
The assist numbers are bad, and they're likely going to get worse with the loss of Fland. The Hogs are 14th in the conference in assists at just 10.3 per game since league play began.
Individual Stats
Looking at the individual statistic leaders across the SEC, there's one clear-cut leader for the Hogs, and that is Thiero. Obviously, scoring hasn't been great for the Hogs recently, but Thiero has been a bright spot for Arkansas. He ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring at 16.4 points per game and is second in the SEC in field goal percentage.
Thiero's free throw percentage of 69.6% ranks 22nd in the conference, but the 21 he attempted against Illinois on Thanksgiving Day is still the most of any player in the SEC.
No other Razorback, outside of Fland, is in the Top 25 of any offensive category.
That's where the loss of Fland hurts the most. His 5.7 assists per game still ranks second in the SEC and his assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.7 still leads the SEC. He, along with guard D.J. Wagner, top the leaderboard in minutes played at 34.1 and 34, respectively. His 39.1% field goal percentage ranks 16th in the conference and his 83.9% free throw percentage is 10th in the conference.
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Defensively, Thiero still stands out in SEC leaderboards. His 1.8 steals per game is 11th in the conference, and just 0.2 steals away from being ranked eighth. He's not featured on the blocks leaderboard, but there are several Hogs who are in the tops of the SEC in that category.
Zvonimir Ivisic is the highest-ranked Razorback in blocks with 1.7 per game, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Trevon Brazile's 1.5 per game is a few spots down at No. 10, and Jonas Aidoo is at No. 12 with 1.3 per game.
Brazile's six blocks he had against Oakland on Dec. 30 is still an SEC record this season, and Ivisic's five he had against Troy is tied with six other players for second.
When it comes to SEC-competition only, Arkansas representation among the best of the SEC gets slimmer. Thiero drops to 18th in the conference in scoring at 13.7 points per game and he's not in the top 12 of field goal percentage. His 1.5 blocks per game do rank No. 7 and his 1.7 steals are No. 16.
