Despite the scoreboard showing what was largely a blowout against Florida on Saturday, there are still some positives that came from the game.
There are no moral victories in sports, but sophomore guard Joseph Pinion and true freshman Layden Blocker logged big minutes in Saturday’s loss, proving they belong on the floor.
Pinion — who has only averaged 4.4 minutes per game this season — was on the floor for 22 minutes on Saturday. He finished the game as the second-leading scorer with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arch.
While he may have been overmatched athletically at times, he made up for that with his hustle according to head coach Eric Musselman.
“The one constant that Joseph Pinion has exhibited through two years is he will try, and he will try and run our offense and try to do things within the framework of who we are,” Musselman said after the game. “He’s got heart, he’s got character. And he’s a guy that tries and plays up to his ability.”
A former four-star prospect out of Morrilton, Pinion has been a constant receiver of criticism ever since he stepped onto the court for the Hogs. His play on Saturday proved he has the ability to play in the SEC.
Layden Blocker also saw an increase in playing time and the true freshman made the most of it, as he finished with 14 points, four rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes of action.
“Really happy with the play of Layden Blocker and Joseph Pinion,” Musselman said. “Those guys, one of them’s plus-2, one of them’s minus-1. I just thought they played hard. I thought they played the right way. And their numbers are indicative of that. That’s why their plus-minuses are what it is. And it wasn’t like they just played insignificant minutes. Those guys did play 21 minutes and 24 minutes.”
The Little Rock native and Sunrise Christian Prep alum said he — along with the rest of the second team — brought good energy off the bench.
“Honestly, I think the group — the second group he put out there — we did pretty good, especially in that first half, second half,” Blocker said. “You know, we came in there, bright energy. Got some stops, some steals. Got some key buckets. Joseph Pinion, he hit some key shots when he came in. And just overall as a team, I just feel like the energy. We came with that energy off the bench. And that's what we need in the long run.”
Musselman noticed Blocker and Pinion’s play, too, and has some decisions to make leading up to Arkansas’ next game.
“I think we’ve changed up a lot of things a lot,” Musselman said. “I mean, I think we’ve changed the starting lineup. We’ve tried different things. But certainly those two young men tonight, because they played hard, we’ll probably look to go to them earlier than we have in some of these past games. At some point you’re going to play some guys. Certainly tonight that’s what I looked to do.”
Things need to improve quickly if the Hogs hope to make some magic down the stretch. That starts with a homestand against Texas A&M on Tuesday. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.
There are no moral victories in sports, but sophomore guard Joseph Pinion and true freshman Layden Blocker logged big minutes in Saturday’s loss, proving they belong on the floor.
Pinion — who has only averaged 4.4 minutes per game this season — was on the floor for 22 minutes on Saturday. He finished the game as the second-leading scorer with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arch.
While he may have been overmatched athletically at times, he made up for that with his hustle according to head coach Eric Musselman.
“The one constant that Joseph Pinion has exhibited through two years is he will try, and he will try and run our offense and try to do things within the framework of who we are,” Musselman said after the game. “He’s got heart, he’s got character. And he’s a guy that tries and plays up to his ability.”
A former four-star prospect out of Morrilton, Pinion has been a constant receiver of criticism ever since he stepped onto the court for the Hogs. His play on Saturday proved he has the ability to play in the SEC.
Layden Blocker also saw an increase in playing time and the true freshman made the most of it, as he finished with 14 points, four rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes of action.
“Really happy with the play of Layden Blocker and Joseph Pinion,” Musselman said. “Those guys, one of them’s plus-2, one of them’s minus-1. I just thought they played hard. I thought they played the right way. And their numbers are indicative of that. That’s why their plus-minuses are what it is. And it wasn’t like they just played insignificant minutes. Those guys did play 21 minutes and 24 minutes.”
The Little Rock native and Sunrise Christian Prep alum said he — along with the rest of the second team — brought good energy off the bench.
“Honestly, I think the group — the second group he put out there — we did pretty good, especially in that first half, second half,” Blocker said. “You know, we came in there, bright energy. Got some stops, some steals. Got some key buckets. Joseph Pinion, he hit some key shots when he came in. And just overall as a team, I just feel like the energy. We came with that energy off the bench. And that's what we need in the long run.”
Musselman noticed Blocker and Pinion’s play, too, and has some decisions to make leading up to Arkansas’ next game.
“I think we’ve changed up a lot of things a lot,” Musselman said. “I mean, I think we’ve changed the starting lineup. We’ve tried different things. But certainly those two young men tonight, because they played hard, we’ll probably look to go to them earlier than we have in some of these past games. At some point you’re going to play some guys. Certainly tonight that’s what I looked to do.”
Things need to improve quickly if the Hogs hope to make some magic down the stretch. That starts with a homestand against Texas A&M on Tuesday. That game will tip off at 8 p.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.
