The Arkansas Razorbacks (13-4, 5-4 SEC) have accumulated three consecutive victories and will bring the momentum to Saturday’s SEC / Big 12 Challenge fight in Stillwater, Oklahoma against Oklahoma State. The game is an opportunity for the Hogs to win the conference, but defeating the Cowboys (10-4, 4-4 Big 12) is certainly not going to be easy.
It appears that the Arkansas squad is the walking wounded after Wednesday’s physical game against Ole Miss. Eric Musselman said his team huddled in the athletic training room today, at a time of recovery before the weekend.
Junior guard Desi Sills suffered a bad fall directly on the ribs after a dunk. Senior shipowner Jalen Tate broke a tooth in a head colliding with an Ole Miss player. Senior Advanced Justin smith he was visibly limped in the second half and was seen backstage stretching and working on his calf.
“I think Desi will be fine. I just went through the training room. It looked like a MASH unit. We had a lot of guys there,” said Musselman. “Jalen Tate was at the dentist when he and I were texting a little while ago. So I don’t have the full update other than that he was in the dentist’s office or in the dentist’s chair when I called. And Justin Smith is not practicing today . We’ll see how he feels Friday. “
To complicate matters, the Hogs will have just two days to recover before hitting the road to play at Oklahoma State. This is no different from the normal time between games at the SEC, but the Cowboys have been off since the game against Iowa State on Monday. Musselman will have to balance the rest of his players and, at the same time, ensure that they are fully updated in the preparation of the game.
“We have a much shorter preparation time than the state of Oklahoma,” said Musselman. “They played on Monday. We played on Wednesday night. Obviously we have to travel there. They are at home. So how will we do this preparation in a short space of time knowing that the game will be an afternoon game on Saturday … I mean, there is no doubt, they will have fresher legs.
“All you need to do is look at the schedule. For a team to be off on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and play a game early and we play on Wednesday night, we have to try to figure out how to manage because we have some guys bruises – how to keep them cool for Saturday afternoon. “
To be fair, the state of Oklahoma has been dealing with its own problems. The Cowboys recently took a break from COVID-related issues before returning to the room with a shortage of labor last weekend. Star Guard Cade Cunningham he lost Monday’s game while working to get back into shape, following the protocols of COVID. Talented guard Ferron Flavors stayed away for a long time recovering from finger surgery.
The depth for the Cowboys has also suffered a blow in recent weeks. They missed the second year Chris Harris Jr and freshman Donovan Williams for season ending knee injuries. In addition to the current injury problems for the Razorbacks, the junior striker Abayomi Iyiola been out all year recovering from ACL surgery, and freshman KK Robinson was lost during the season due to a fractured foot.
Don’t expect Musselman to retain players or limit them simply because Saturday’s game at Stillwater is a showdown outside the conference. Every game is important to Razorbacks at this point in the season, as they struggle to get a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Regardless, Musselman goes all-in for all opponents.
“If we were going to play t-shirts and furs in a pickup game, it’s the fourth and one for me at all,” said Musselman. “We are not going to prepare any game differently. We are preparing for this game in the same way that we did the first, the second, the third, because every game for me is the Super Bowl.”