FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball has gone through three days of hard reflection since a thumping 76-52 loss to No. 1 Tennessee in the SEC opener.
The Razorbacks (11-3, 0-1) have had individual meetings, physical practices and some self-reckoning in the aftermath of a rebounding embarrassment.
The Hogs were punished on the offensive glass as Tennessee won the rebounding battle 51-29. John Calipari described the Tennessee defeat as a “crisis” during his weekly radio show Monday night, but he’s diving head-first into the the extremes of such vocabulary, saying only a crisis point can create growth.
Before Arkansas can grow, it must win again. According to assistant coach Chin Coleman, the Hogs are focused on not letting Saturday’s loss snowball into a bigger trend.
“We never want to let one game beat us twice,” Coleman said Tuesday. “We’ve won seven out of our last eight games, so we’re not going to just act like that stuff didn’t happen. We are who we are. We’re a good basketball team. We had a bad night, bad day, at the office. We want to take what we can from that so that doesn’t happen again.”
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The Razorbacks have their first chance to make amends Wednesday night at home against No. 22 Ole Miss (12-2, 1-0). The Rebels opened their SEC campaign with a 63-51 victory over Georgia in Oxford, Miss.
Coleman anticipates a major challenge from Ole Miss, albeit a different task than the one Tennessee presented.
The Rebels’ guard-heavy lineup gets maximized by constant motion, and if Arkansas ever gets distracted by all the movement, any of the Ole Miss starters can capitalize one-on-one. Sean Pedulla, Matthew Murrell, Jaylen Murray and Dre Davis are all shooting nearly 45% from the floor while averaging more than 10 points per game.
Dec 21, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (4) celebrates with fans after the game against the North Carolina A&T Aggies at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
But Arkansas hopes that Bud Walton Arena provides an edge. The road loss to Tennessee was the first hostile environment the Hogs — and their three freshmen — have faced all season. The only other true-road game to this point was a narrow 76-73 win over Miami, which is now 4-10.
There hasn’t been a rowdy home environment yet this season, but Coleman, Calipari and the entire Arkansas coaching staff knows how impactful the Hogs’ home fans can be. They’re calling for that type of home-court advantage Wednesday night.
“I’ve always said this whether I was somewhere else or here, now, this to me has always been the loudest building in the league,” Coleman said. “I truly believe that. I need for that vibe. We need for that feel. We need for it to live up to what I’ve always thought. I’m expecting it for it to be the loudest building in the league.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball aims for bounce-back performance against Ole Miss
