HawgBeat - Five bold predictions for Arkansas basketball
HawgBeat's Jackson Collier gives five bold predictions for the upcoming Arkansas basketball season.
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With two exhibitions in the books, the Arkansas basketball team now has their sights set on the looming regular season, which will begin on Monday against Alcorn State.
Fans had high expectations already, but the two exhibitions performances have given them even more reason for excitement. In particular, an 81-77 overtime victory over No. 3 Purdue in a charity exhibition Saturday has the Arkansas fanbase counting down the days for basketball.
It is evident from the exhibitions that the coaching staff filled many areas of need from last season, plus they added more maturity and experience.
Between the high level of play so far, the already lofty expectations and a rabid fanbase, even the boldest of predictions may not seem bold enough, but we're giving it our best stab with HawgBeat's five bold predictions for the upcoming season:
1. Arkansas will shoot 35.0% or better from three
Shooting was a major issue last season, with floor spacing being negatively impacted with minimal outside threats. The Razorbacks shot an abysmal 31.3% from three on a mere 15.9 attempts per game. Both of those numbers were near the bottom of the country.
Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and his staff made a point to address the shooting issue over the offseason, though. The coaching staff added multiple transfers who could shoot a good percentage from the perimeter at a high volume.
Temple transfer Khalif Battle shot 36.0% on 7.5 attempts per game for the Owls over three years, Cincinnati transfer Jeremiah Davenport shot 34.7% on 5.4 attempts per game for the Bearcats over four years and Louisville transfer El Ellis shot 33.4% on 4.7 attempts per game for the Cardinals over two years. Houston Tramon Mark is also a competent perimeter shooter, as he posted a career-high of 32.8% last season.
On top of the transfer additions, Arkansas returns multiple shooters off of last year's team. Forward Trevon Brazile is back and fully cleared after an ACL injury last season. He shot 37.9% from three in nine games with the Razorbacks.
Second-year wing Joseph Pinion is also back, and has been known as a sharpshooter since his days in high school. The Morrilton product shot 38.2% from range last season as a true freshman and should have an increased role this season. Fourth-year guard Davonte Davis is back after his best shooting season, when he knocked down 34.6% of his shots from behind the arc on the season, with an even better 40.4% in conference play.
So, why is this such a bold take? No question Arkansas will be an improved shooting team this season, but the 35.0% marker is what makes it so bold. Musselman's best shooting team at Arkansas was his debut season when the team shot 33.4% from three. Jumping nearly 4% in one offseason and almost 3% from the best season in a coach's tenure is difficult stuff, but I think this team is more than capable.
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