After the Arkansas Razorbacks' (6-4) loss to the Oklahoma Sooners (9-0) on Saturday, something has to change.
The Razorbacks kept in the game for much of the first half, but came out of the second half flat and the Sooners took over, leading by as many as 19 points before the game was over.
Obviously, something isn't working. With just three games in the next 20 days, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said he's using that time to figure some things out.
"The team right now is not playing with the same personality as our past teams the last four years, and we’ve got to get a lot better," Musselman said. "I think we play three games in the next 20 days. Rotations, roles, all those things are … There’s going to be some changes."
That starts with practice this coming Monday. Musselman said he's not preparing for their next opponent — Lipscomb on Dec. 16 — he's focused on his team.
"I’m just worried about trying to have a good practice on Monday," Musselman said. "I mean, how confident is somebody to get it [turned around]? We’ve got to get better than where we are right now."
What those changes amount to, exactly — whether it be better scoring, better defense, etc. — remains to be seen. But Musselman said he's going to work to figure out what to do to make it work. Having a full seven days before the next time the Hogs take the court will help.
"Yeah, I’m glad we don’t play tomorrow because we have a lot of things that we, like we’re not going to keep doing the same thing over and over," Musselman said. "We’re not going to keep putting the same lineup out there. We’ve got to continue to tinker and try to figure this thing out to the best of our ability."
Arkansas guard Jeremiah Davenport said the team's goal is to keep fighting. They've seen what kind of a turnaround is possible earlier this season.
"You saw coming from the Bahamas and coming and playing Duke," Davenport said. "You saw the outcome of that. We've got a group of guys that compete. We've got a lot of talent. We have to keep on pushing. It's a long season. Having a guy like Coach Muss as the leader, he's never going to give up. Keep pushing. Keep fighting like we did at the end. That's all I can say. Keep fighting for sure."
As previously mentioned, the Hoop Hogs will take the court next on Saturday, Dec. 16 against Lipscomb. That game till tip off at 5 p.m. and stream on the SEC Network+.
The Razorbacks kept in the game for much of the first half, but came out of the second half flat and the Sooners took over, leading by as many as 19 points before the game was over.
Obviously, something isn't working. With just three games in the next 20 days, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said he's using that time to figure some things out.
"The team right now is not playing with the same personality as our past teams the last four years, and we’ve got to get a lot better," Musselman said. "I think we play three games in the next 20 days. Rotations, roles, all those things are … There’s going to be some changes."
That starts with practice this coming Monday. Musselman said he's not preparing for their next opponent — Lipscomb on Dec. 16 — he's focused on his team.
"I’m just worried about trying to have a good practice on Monday," Musselman said. "I mean, how confident is somebody to get it [turned around]? We’ve got to get better than where we are right now."
What those changes amount to, exactly — whether it be better scoring, better defense, etc. — remains to be seen. But Musselman said he's going to work to figure out what to do to make it work. Having a full seven days before the next time the Hogs take the court will help.
"Yeah, I’m glad we don’t play tomorrow because we have a lot of things that we, like we’re not going to keep doing the same thing over and over," Musselman said. "We’re not going to keep putting the same lineup out there. We’ve got to continue to tinker and try to figure this thing out to the best of our ability."
Arkansas guard Jeremiah Davenport said the team's goal is to keep fighting. They've seen what kind of a turnaround is possible earlier this season.
"You saw coming from the Bahamas and coming and playing Duke," Davenport said. "You saw the outcome of that. We've got a group of guys that compete. We've got a lot of talent. We have to keep on pushing. It's a long season. Having a guy like Coach Muss as the leader, he's never going to give up. Keep pushing. Keep fighting like we did at the end. That's all I can say. Keep fighting for sure."
As previously mentioned, the Hoop Hogs will take the court next on Saturday, Dec. 16 against Lipscomb. That game till tip off at 5 p.m. and stream on the SEC Network+.
