The Arkansas Razorbacks (8-2, 0-0 SEC) are now on a three-game win streak after a rollercoaster win over the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines (8-2, 2-0 Big 10) on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
The game featured both teams losing double-digit leads, as Arkansas stormed back from a 15-point first half deficit to lead by 18 midway through the second half. The Hogs also saw their lead dwindle and led by just one point with 15 seconds left in the game, but held on after Michigan's final shot clanged off the front of the iron.
Arkansas guard Boogie Fland showed out and led both teams in scoring with 20 points, but forward Trevon Brazile stole the show in crunch time. He blocked a go-ahead shot from Michigan's Vladislav Goldin and made several strong plays throughout the game to help the Razorbacks to the win.
HawgBeat hands out the grades for those who played Tuesday night...
Johnell Davis: Offense C-, Defense B
Offense: Davis had a quiet night scoring the ball and finished with just six points on 2-of-8 shooting. He had several open looks from deep and hit just one of them, but he had an important and-one bucket that helped Arkansas stem the tide of Michigan's comeback.Defense: Davis' defensive rating by the end of the game was middle of the pack with the rest of the Razorbacks, but he gets a grade bump because of his quick hands on the final play of the game. He poked the ball away after he got beat on a backdoor cut that forced Michigan to throw up an off-balance shot as time expired.
D.J. Wagner: Offense A, Defense C+
Offense: Wagner exploded for 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while he knocked down two triples. He was aggressive getting to the rim and while he didn't finish super well in the first half, he made several important plays down the stretch. He did have two turnovers, but so did five other Razorbacks, and he made up for those with five assists.
Defense: As great as Wagner was on offense, it was a quiet game defensively, which is honestly a good thing. There weren't any glaring mistakes that he made outside of a few miscommunications in the first half that led to some easy Michigan threes.
Boogie Fland: Offense B-, Defense B
Offense: Yes, he led the game in scoring with 20 points, but he was pretty inefficient and shot just 33.3% (6-of-18) from the field in the game. He got hot late in the first half and scored eight straight points that cut into the Wolverines' lead and kept the game close at the half. He also finished with a team-high seven assists and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Defense: Fland didn't have any steals in this game, which is uncharacteristic of him as he averaged 1.6 on the season so far. Still, he had great defensive pressure on Michigan's guards that caused them to commit 11 of the Wolverines' 17 turnovers.
Adou Thiero: Offense B, Defense B+
Offense: It wasn't the same kind of flu game Michael Jordan had, but Adou Thiero was sick and still produced at a high level for the Razorbacks. Head coach John Calipari tried to give him as much rest as he could, but even with little in the tank Thiero finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also knocked down his first three of the season in the first half.
Defense: Again, Thiero was sick and still put max effort on both ends of the floor. Even with the gas low, the motor was running at full speed and did a solid job of not allowing defenders to get easy looks. He also had a key steal at the start of the second half that helped Arkansas retake the lead.
Trevon Brazile: Offense A, Defense A
Offense: Brazile turned in his best offensive game of the season on Tuesday night, and finished with 15 points on 75% (6-of-8) shooting from the field. He had a highlight-reel dunk, as is common for him, and also got a three to fall as well, which hasn't been a main facet of his game, but probably should be. Still needs to work on free throws, as he missed three crucial ones in the final minutes of the game that would have given the Razorbacks a more comfortable lead, but I feel comfortable giving him an A in this category overall.
Defense: Truth be told, Brazile's defense won the game for the Razorbacks. His block on Michigan's Vladislav Goldin with 15 seconds left kept Arkansas from having to use late-game heroics to win the game. He had the best defensive rating of the team, had the highest steal percentage and the second-highest block percentage behind Jonas Aidoo.
Jonas Aidoo: Offense B, Defense B+
Offense: If 11 points with three offensive rebounds is a bad offensive night, then Jonas Aidoo still has an incredibly high ceiling. He missed a few easy looks and is probably still a little rusty after he missed so much time with injury, but he looked solid down low.
Where Aidoo played the best, and something Arkansas will probably want to do more of, was the pick-and-roll game with Fland. Defenders just seem to stick to him on screens and when he rolls out he has great size and length to create good looks when he gets the ball in the paint.
Defense: Okay, yes, Aidoo allowed Michigan's seven-footers to score a combined 31 points, but his presence on the defensive end of the floor was sorely missed by the Razorbacks. He altered shots, had two blocks and also recorded two steals as well.
Karter Knox: Offense B-, Defense C+
Offense: Knox only scored five points in the game, but it was the timing of those scores that gave him a higher grade. He hit a three in the first half while Arkansas was fighting back from the large deficit that cut the lead to just four.
Then in the second half, he made a great cut into the lane and received a pass from Thiero in between two defenders and got the bucket to go with the foul that brought the Hogs' their largest lead of the night. It wasn't an overwhelming night from the freshman, but it was solid and he produced at times the team needed him to.
Defense: I thought it was an okay night from Knox on the defensive end of the floor. He had a defensive rating of 115 and had some trouble in one-on-one matchups Tuesday, but he also only played 13 minutes, so he wasn't relied upon heavily.
Zvonimir Ivisic: Incomplete
Big Z is still dealing with an ankle injury and only played nine minutes, but he struggled a lot with pick-and-roll defense against Michigan's seven-footers. He did knock down a huge three, but he also took an ill-advised, off-balance corner three on an inbounds pass that was somewhat head-scratching.
Billy Richmond: Incomplete
Calipari said after the game Richmond was sick with the flu, so he only played in one minute on Tuesday night.
