Arkansas Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman recapping continuing problems with defense in 78-72 loss to UNC-Greensboro coming along with horrendous shooting night, particularly with three-pointers.
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00:00 You know, we're not defending the three and we're not guarding the dribble drive.
00:05 You know, we basically had the same defensive concepts for for eight years and, you know,
00:11 might have to look at changing some things based on our lack of ability to, to, especially
00:16 at the guard play, to keep the ball in front of us and also contest the three that that
00:22 seems to be problematic to do both.
00:27 You know, tonight we're supposed to take away the three and we certainly didn't do that.
00:31 So you know,
00:39 please me to my next question.
00:40 23 is for opponents in two games this week.
00:42 Can you what what's the issue?
00:45 I guess defending the perimeter?
00:47 Can you put your finger on it?
00:49 Not getting close enough to guys not not not having enough desperation.
00:53 I mean, you know, if you don't think that we've talked about defending the three, I
00:58 mean, I've talked about it even with you guys.
01:00 So it's been discussed.
01:04 It's up to us to fix it.
01:10 So we I mean, we got to get back to the drawing board.
01:13 We don't have much time before we play three real quality opponents in Bahamas.
01:18 Must it seem like ball movement for you guys against that zone was still a lot a lot of
01:22 the threes maybe weren't off good energy on the ball on the other end.
01:26 It seemed like they got some rhythm threes and maybe some easy looks.
01:30 Did you see a discrepancy between the two offenses that way?
01:33 Or is it just defensive failure?
01:35 Yeah, I mean, we scored 48 points in that second half Kevin and and you know, we had
01:40 over 200 passes.
01:41 That was one of the first things we checked.
01:43 I thought I actually thought we did pretty good against the zone getting the ball the
01:46 Devo and he made some good reads.
01:49 Really about the two and a half minute mark we you know, we struggled making shots and
01:56 four for 23 is you know, I don't I don't even think we needed to attempt that many.
02:02 I thought in the first half we you know, we tried to I mean, they didn't have many shot
02:09 blockers you know, and so not going to the rim was a you know, was an issue in the first
02:15 half.
02:16 We had 22 points in 24 points in the first half and 48 in the second.
02:21 I mean, the problem was the first half offensively.
02:24 You know, we were not good defensively, probably not good in either half.
02:32 On the turnovers, this is where you had really been keeping them low this game.
02:37 Obviously, they ripped a lot the first half.
02:39 How did you feel that played into this?
02:43 Getting behind so big as you did?
02:45 Yeah, 13 turnovers is I mean, in the second half, we did a pretty good job taking care
02:49 of the ball, but first half not very good.
02:52 I mean, there's just so many things that I can point out.
02:54 I mean, you know, Kai has, you know, 4008 minutes or six minutes, whatever it was, and
03:02 you know, l had a lot of turnovers in the first half and and you know, I thought their
03:08 star player got off in the first half and got way too many easy looks and and you know,
03:16 the issue when you schedule like this is, is, you know, if you don't come to play, good
03:21 teams like this are going to beat you and they're a good team.
03:25 And you know, they played a great second half at Vanderbilt, and they played a really great
03:30 first half tonight and we didn't play a very good game at all.
03:37 That's just curious what you thought about UNC Greensboro's physicality and then maybe
03:41 how you guys responded to that early in the game compared to after halftime.
03:44 Yeah, I mean, we told him it was going to be physical.
03:46 I mean, you know, I thought we responded much better in the second half.
03:53 But we lost the game, you know what I mean?
03:55 And so you know, this team's got a got a lot of areas that we got to improve on.
04:04 Rotation got a little little tighter tonight.
04:06 Was that something that was planned pregame or an adjustment just based off falling behind?
04:11 Yeah, I mean, I think that, you know, we tried to change the starting lineup.
04:16 So that's, I mean, that's one change.
04:20 I don't think that had any anything to do with the I thought Chandler came in and actually
04:31 played great defensively.
04:36 But we just we had a lot of holes.
04:37 I mean, that we have to fix.
04:41 It just seemed like whenever you guys were coming back and the crowd was getting into
04:46 it in the second half, they had an answer.
04:48 Particularly, I remember was like, I think Diva had a layup to make a 5048.
04:52 You guys, I thought had a real good defensive sequence and then Atwell hit a three with
04:56 like a second left.
04:57 And then I think somebody missed the three and they got a layup.
05:00 So it went from like four to nine or so.
05:02 And it just what you think about the way they kept answering you're all just, you know,
05:06 runs at them.
05:07 Yeah, I thought they played great.
05:09 They really did.
05:10 They have a lot of veterans.
05:11 They have a lot of returning guys.
05:14 And early in the season, just, you know, I've talked about other people around the country
05:18 that this has happened to tonight.
05:19 It happened to us.
05:20 It's first time it's happened in eight years that I've been a coach and non conference
05:24 game like this.
05:25 It happened.
05:26 And we didn't play very well.
05:28 It's really bad timing not to play well knowing what our schedule looks like our next home
05:33 game here and then the three games in the Bahamas.
05:36 It was a game that was really important for us to come out and play well and we didn't
05:41 do that.
05:42 Shade, you guys scheduling back to back years because they have trouble scheduling because
05:46 they're good.
05:47 He said he loved to play here again next year.
05:50 And I said, I don't know about that.
05:51 I mean, what do you think about scheduling?
05:55 I know you like to play tough.
05:56 Yeah, I mean, we're trying to schedule to make an NCAA tournament when you lose a game
06:00 like this, it puts a dent in you quite frankly.
06:02 I mean, this is this is this loss is is a loss that that's detrimental because it's
06:08 a home game.
06:09 And so I'm not I'm not going to shy away from that.
06:12 I mean, I'm disappointed that we lost the game and you know, hadn't happened in a long
06:23 time and it and it happened.
06:24 Eric, you mentioned the beginning, the fact that it's the same issues that have plagued
06:30 you so far this year, just how frustrating is that?
06:32 And how confident are you that your guys will be able to to get them fixed here over the
06:36 next three?
06:37 I think I think we've got to I mean, our job a job of of of for our staff is if we're not
06:45 doing things the way that we need to, we've we have to make adjustments.
06:49 I can't just keep doing the same thing because every team's personality, every team's personnel
06:55 strengths and weaknesses are different.
06:58 So I've got to come up with a little bit different scheme than what we've seen thus far.
07:03 And we will, whether it works or not, I don't know.
07:07 But we can ill afford to continue playing, whether it's pick and roll, whether it's chasing
07:14 guys off screens, whether it's playing guys off.
07:18 We have to adjust and we will starting tonight.
07:22 I'll go back and and you know, have to this team's been incapable right now, other than
07:30 the Purdue game of taking away the three and taking away the dribble.
07:35 So I've got to get with the staff and get with the players and make some type of an
07:39 adjustment.
07:42 Transition was a problem in the last game.
07:44 This game, it was about break even in half, but you guys got back and defended it and
07:48 ran out a little bit in the second half on a positive note.
07:50 Is there something to build on there at least moving forward?
07:54 Yeah, I mean, I thought we played, you know, in the second half with more pace, but you
07:58 know, the game is a game of runs.
08:00 And, you know, I think it's very easy as a coach to, you know, to say, hey, we played
08:05 really good in the second half or, you know, like, we lost the game, you know what I mean?
08:10 So I'm not going to sit here and tell everybody, hey, we played a great second half, it's something
08:14 to build on and that no, we lost the game.
08:17 And it's a 40 minute game for a reason.
08:20 And we lost.
08:21 And so we've got to get better across the board.
08:28 And we've got to get off to better starts.
08:30 I mean, this is, you know, so there's a lot of a lot of things to discuss.
08:39 Eric, I don't know about other games tonight, but I think you can yell tonight, it's the
08:44 sixth ranked team to lose to an unranked team in the first two weeks, it just seemed you
08:49 know, it's kind of you've alluded to it gets, you know, it's like you're the only teams
08:54 is happening to I guess is what I'm saying.
08:57 Yeah, because transfer poor, I mean, and then you got a team like this, that's got a lot
09:03 of guys back.
09:04 I mean, we watched the film.
09:06 And every time you watch the film, the last year, the guys, they're back, you know what
09:11 I mean?
09:12 And so and they looked like it, you know, and so it's not good.
09:18 I mean, you go for for 23.
09:20 And the other team goes nine to 20, you're not going to win the game.
09:23 I mean, it's just not going to happen.
09:26 Keishon Langley and Jones Brown, how good a combo are those guys?
09:30 They scored 50 the other night, Vandy, I think they had 40 something tonight.
09:33 Yeah, I mean, they're really good.
09:35 I thought my team arc did a great job in the second half.
09:38 I mean, the first half 18.
09:40 I don't know if I cannot remember a player that we've coached against that had 18 and
09:43 a half.
09:46 And he really got the better of us for sure in the first half.
09:49 And we made some adjustments, we changed to his garden him.
09:53 We tried to deny him the ball, we got burned on one back door.
09:56 But other than that, I thought we did a good job denying his catches a little bit more
10:00 in the second half.
10:03 You've already mentioned the you guys took maybe too many threes and you would have liked
10:07 but I'm just upset with the quality of the shots that you're generating those three pointers
10:11 that you missed
10:12 for sure early in the game.
10:13 Yeah.
10:14 Wasn't disappointed late really, in the second half, but first half Yeah, I thought we took
10:18 some bad shots.
10:19 Yep, for sure.
10:21 In the first half.
10:24 Just curious what the next few days look like in terms of practice and cleanup.
10:27 I mean, you don't play till Wednesday, we got international travel thrown in there.
10:31 So what are the next few days?
10:33 Travel on Monday, early, so hard to practice on Monday.
10:37 Not sure what we'll do.
10:39 You know?
10:42 Not sure.