HawgBeat - Scouting Report: Analyzing the UNC Greensboro Spartans
HawgBeat takes a deep dive into the analytics for Arkansas' opponent on Friday: the UNC Greensboro Spartans.
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The No. 14 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-0) will face off against the UNC Greensboro Spartans (1-1) inside Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Friday night.
Led by third-year head coach Mike Jones, the Spartans finished the 2022-23 season with a 20-12 (14-4 Southern) record.
Heading into the season, the Spartans were selected to finish fourth in the SoCon by the league's media. UNC Greensboro had two players selected to a preseason all-conference squad in forward Mikeal Brown-Jones and guard Keyshaun Langley.
After starting their season off with a 94-78 win over NC A&T, the Spartans dropped their most recent matchup to Vanderbilt, 74-70. The Razorbacks have fared better, as they sit with a perfect record with wins over Alcorn State, Gardner-Webb and Old Dominion.
The matchup with the Spartans is notable for the Hogs, as star forward Trevon Brazile tore his ACL in a matchup with UNC Greensboro last season.
"I hope he just comes out and plays," head coach Eric Musselman said after Monday's win over Old Dominion. "I think it's always hard for a player knowing there was an injury against a certain team. UNC-G is good. We were down five last year in this game at halftime. The game was a single-digit game. They have a potential all-league player back at center. They have the defensive player of the year in Langley back. They have a first-team all-league player back in Langley, one of the best three-point shooters in college basketball.
"Then they have a guy at the small forward spot that's an absolute roper. He hit four threes against us. So, they've got some guys back from last year that really, really hurt us. We need to play our best game of the season on Friday. That's for sure."
Here's a closer look into UNC Greensboro's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineups and more ahead of Friday's game, which is set to tipoff at 7:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network Plus:
UNC Greensboro statistical rankings (per game)
~ Scoring offense: 82.0 (T-113th nationally)
~ Scoring defense: 76.0 points allowed (T-270th nationally)
~ Assists: 14.0 (166th nationally)
~ Field goal percentage: 44.4% (197th nationally)
~ 3-point percentage: 37.9% (78th nationally)
~ Free throw percentage: 80.0% (31st nationally)
~ Rebounds: 40.0 (131st nationally)
~ Blocks: 2.0 (290th nationally)
~ Steals: 5.0 (296th nationally)
UNC Greensboro projected starting five
#0 - G Keyshaun Langley - Sr., 6'1", 175 lbs.
Stats per game: 30.5 min, 19.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 turnovers, 0.0 blocks, 41.9 fg%, 31.3 3fg%
#F - G Mikeal Brown-Jones - Sr., 6'8", 220 lbs.
Stats per game: 23.0 min, 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 55.2 fg%, 50.0 3fg%
#3 - G Kobe Langley - Sr., 6' 1”, 180 lbs.
Stats per game: 31.0 min, 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 43.8 fg%, 44.4 3fg%
#12 - G Donovan Atwell - So., 6'5", 187 lbs.
Stats per game: 26.0 min, 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.0 steals, 1.0 turnovers, 0.0 blocks, 41.2 fg%, 30.8 3fg%
#22 - F Jalen Breath - So., 6'8", 225 lbs.
Stats per game: 24.0 min, 4.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 turnovers, 0.5 blocks, 40.0 fg%, 0.0 3fg%
2023-24 KenPom efficiency ratings comparison (out of 363 teams)
UNC Greensboro
~ Adjusted offensive efficiency: 104.9 points per 100 possessions (127th)
~ Adjusted defensive efficiency: 101.5 points per 100 possessions (141st)
~ Effective field goal percentage: 52.1% (127th)
~ Turnover percentage: 13.7% (49th)
~ Offensive rebounding percentage: 37.5% (48th)
~ Free throw rate: 14.1% (353rd)
~ Adjusted tempo: 70.3 possessions per 40 minutes (214th)
~ Average offensive possession length: 17.2 seconds (197th)
~ Average defensive possession length: 17.3 seconds (209th)
Arkansas
~ Adjusted offensive efficiency: 113.6 points per 100 possessions (20th)
~ Adjusted defensive efficiency: 93.2 points per 100 possessions (26th)
~ Effective field goal percentage: 58.7% (31st)
~ Turnover percentage: 12.6% (33rd)
~ Offensive rebounding percentage: 27.9% (221st)
~ Free throw rate: 56.1% (13th)
~ Adjusted tempo: 74.0 possessions per 40 minutes (47th)
~ Average offensive possession length: 16.2 seconds (112th)
~ Average defensive possession length: 16.4 seconds (130th)
*Click here for an explanation on what each rating takes into account.
EvanMiya analytics comparison (out of 363 teams)
EvanMiya Analytics
| Category | UNC Greensboro | Arkansas |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rank | 131 | 22 |
| Roster Rank | 151 | 22 |
| Offensive Rank | 134 | 25 |
| Defensive Rank | 143 | 35 |
| Injury Rank (ranking after accounting for injuries) | 124 | 21 |
| Tempo Rank: | 239 | 47 |
