The Arkansas Razorbacks (19-5, 11-4 SEC) had a fantastic week with big wins over No. 6 Alabama and LSU, but taking down two of the SEC’s best teams can be exhausting. Now, the Hogs will need to freshen up and concentrate quickly before hitting the road to face a dangerous South Carolina team on Tuesday night.
After two physical and emotional victories, Arkansas will be challenged to prepare quickly and avoid disappointment when playing its third game in six days. Razorbacks will train in the morning before flying to Columbia (SC) and shoot at Colonial Life Arena later in the day. The short turnaround time always leads to some lighter practices, and the head coach Eric Musselman it will break things up a bit, as the team will also have to fit the trip in the small window between games.
“Everyone has to do this, but yes, I think it is,” said Musselman. “I tend to go lighter and shorter when we have to fly. Probably about 25 minutes less in practice each time we board a plane. We don’t shoot at home when we travel. We’ll shoot when we land. So, that’s how I cut 25 minutes of practice, and then they’ll shoot on their own as soon as we get to the opposing team’s gym. “
A bonus of hitting the road is that it brings the team closer. More team meals. More time together. Musselman will take advantage of having the whole group in the same place at the same time, mixing up some quick reviews from Boy Scouts and movie sessions.
“On the road, we can do more film sessions, however,” said Musselman. “Just a quick hit, five to seven minutes. Because we are more together. We are having dinner and having breakfast … you are just with the team more than you would be at home.”
Looking at the numbers, Gamecocks (6-12, 4-10 SEC) don’t seem like the type of opponent who should be able to win Arkansas’s nine-game winning streak in SEC games, but they are a talented group. After entering the season with relatively high expectations, Gamecocks went through two breaks at COVID that helped prevent them from reaching their pace.
South Carolina had lost six consecutive games over the weekend, but reacted by defeating Georgia on Saturday, 91-70. With a good amount of production return from a team that Arkansas was in a dogfight a season ago , Musselman throws the Gamecocks record out the window. He expects a battle on Tuesday night, and the Hogs will approach this game like any other.
“They are really dangerous,” said Musselman. “They play a lot. I think that with some programs now it is difficult to evaluate your record if there are breaks and things like that, lost games.
“I think our team did a great job of respecting our opponents every night,” said Musselman. “As soon as we start diving into the cinema today, I think there will be a great deal of understanding and respect for South Carolina, and certainly Yesterday’s game against Georgia should get everyone’s attention, how well they played and scoring more than 90 points. So I think it’s a dangerous game. I am not crazy about Saturday to Tuesday, I prefer Saturday to Wednesday personally from the point of view of preparation. “
Arkansas and South Carolina will tip zero at 17:30 CST in Columbia, and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. Tuesday’s game will be Senior Night for Gamecocks.