Time To Dance

I was pretty impressed and amazed that the Razorback basketball team beat Vandy and Tennessee in consecutive days at this year’s very strange SEC Tournament.

And while I was a bit surprised that we didn’t beat Georgia, I think I understand why:  we didn’t take the ball inside against the Bulldogs.

Harry King wrote after the game:

Georgia is stouter inside than Vanderbilt or Tennessee. In the first half, there was a snapshot moment when Charles Thomas rebounded and Dave Bliss muscled it away from him.  The same Arkansas team that accumulated almost three dozen offensive rebounds against Vanderbilt and Tennessee had one in the first half on Sunday.

Coach Pelphrey was also impressed with Georgia’s size in the paint:

“Those guys are not going to wow you with speed.  They’re not going to wow you with athleticism, but you know those guys are going to be big, strong and physical,” said Pelphrey, whose team suffered an 82-69 loss at Georgia on Jan. 13.

“When a game gets close like it did today, they can get you extra possessions because of their physical size.  That’s what happened.”

Makes me wonder if we were a bit afraid to take the ball to the basket on those “big, strong and physical” guys.

The Hogs have had a lot of success this year when they pass the ball quickly and play ‘inside-out.’  Against Indiana, they need to focus on getting touches close to the basket for Townes, Thomas and Weems.  Forcing the Hoosier defense to double-down will create open opportunities to kick the ball out for three-point shots.

It’s also clear that this team has a better chance to win when they make the game faster.  Stagnant ball movement equals stagnant offense.  Using a token press against Georgia accomplished little more than tiring out our point guards.  Whatever became of that pressing team we saw against Missouri?  Can’t we at least turn it up for a few minutes a game?

If we allow Indiana to follow Georgia’s game plan and dictate tempo…while we play ‘not to lose’ and jack up long shots…we’ll get beat on Friday night.  And the dancing will happily go on without us.