• last year
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman and guard Layden Blocker after losing to North Carolina in The Battle 4 Atlantis on Friday afternoon.
Transcript
00:00 on one side, but don't really don't know anything more than that.
00:04 >> It's an amazing game, did you expect that?
00:07 I mean, is that him?
00:08 >> Well, I think he's just a really improved offensive player,
00:14 playing with great confidence and his efficiency tonight was phenomenal.
00:21 I mean, 13 makes on 17 shots is incredible.
00:24 >> Questions for coach?
00:27 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:37 >> Did you get something about Davis?
00:41 He was phenomenal for them.
00:43 >> Yeah, I thought in the second half, he was just,
00:49 he dominated the basketball game, got whatever shots he wanted.
00:55 And I mean, he played great, he's a great player,
01:01 he's got great quickness, his 10 free throws,
01:06 I mean, they took 35 foul shots and he was phenomenal.
01:12 >> [INAUDIBLE]
01:16 >> Not really, I mean,
01:17 I think every player's got his own identity, his own style.
01:21 We didn't have a lot of time to watch film, cuz it's back to back games.
01:25 So, but he's a great player.
01:27 >> Eric, what did you think of T-Mark today?
01:32 And then what did you say that scary situation?
01:35 >> I can't really hear you right now, Scott.
01:38 >> Just thoughts on T-Mark's game today and
01:40 then the scary situation toward the end, what do you know about his health?
01:44 >> Yeah, I mean, I won't know anything really until I get word from Doc,
01:51 so I don't have any real update on his health.
01:55 But he played phenomenal basketball, I mean,
01:59 his offensive efficiency tonight was really good.
02:04 >> What were they checking him for when he was down on the floor?
02:08 >> I'd rather not get into too much, Scottie, I mean, it's his back,
02:11 not his neck or head, but it's his back.
02:17 >> Last thing, I think I've got two techs and a flake grant for TB this week.
02:21 Do you talk to them about it, address it in some way?
02:24 >> Yeah, I mean, we watched film of it this morning.
02:27 Yeah, it was addressed.
02:29 Today's was more of just kind of a basketball play.
02:33 >> Coach, maybe what's the biggest question that you think needs to be
02:42 answered from this group or maybe your top concern as you go back home here?
02:46 >> Well, Curtis, I think there's a lot of concerns.
02:49 Maybe too many to go through right now.
02:59 >> Coach, what did you see from Layden this week?
03:05 He looked like he belonged on the floor a lot of the time he was out there this week.
03:11 >> Yeah, I thought he played with confidence.
03:13 He got minutes.
03:15 I mean, obviously, we only had two double digit scores tonight and
03:18 he was one of them.
03:19 We got to do a better job guarding Davis though than what we did in the second half.
03:25 And that's everybody, guys that are assigned to him,
03:28 weak side help, all those things.
03:31 >> Layden, for you, just what do you feel like you did well this week?
03:36 And maybe you feel like you kind of grew up on this stage.
03:41 >> I felt like I just, things I did well just to bring energy.
03:45 I just tried to make the hustle plays and do the little things just to bring life.
03:49 And just playing defense, just being a dog on defense and being active.
03:54 >> Coach, I know you just said maybe a lot of things to get into that you guys need
04:00 to work on.
04:01 What are the next few days look like for you?
04:03 Obviously, three games in three days, but you got a few days later you play Duke.
04:08 >> Yeah, I haven't really decided what.
04:10 I mean, obviously, we're not doing anything tomorrow.
04:12 Might not do anything Sunday, might have really don't,
04:17 it's too soon from three games and three nights ending.
04:20 >> And then just curious what you thought about Jeremiah Davenport,
04:25 maybe the energy that he provided and
04:27 maybe the way he responded after not getting to play yesterday.
04:29 >> Well, he had a minor injury yesterday and was in a boot all morning.
04:36 So that contributed to, they didn't really know what it was.
04:41 He woke up with foot soreness that was point tender.
04:43 And when you're at a team meal and it's for breakfast and
04:51 someone's in a boot and Dr. Hart came and talked to me and
04:56 said that it was point tender and it felt better at game time.
04:59 He was available, but saw no real reason if it hurt bad enough to put him in a boot.
05:06 >> Do you like what you saw from him today though?
05:08 >> Thought he played good.
05:09 I mean, we lost by 15 and we've now lost two in a row.
05:17 And so we have a lot of things that we've got to try to sort out.
05:23 >> Coach, I think you guys held North Carolina to two of their last ten from
05:28 the field to close the first half.
05:30 What contributed to that and
05:32 then what changed, I guess, second half to get their offense going?
05:36 >> Bacon Davis weren't in foul trouble.
05:38 I mean, I'm just being honest.
05:43 Coach Davis elected for them not to play with two fouls and
05:49 he made a smart decision and they came back fresh too.
05:55 Though both those guys played pretty significant minutes in the tournament.
05:58 And when they weren't in foul trouble,
06:04 which they weren't in the second half because Coach Davis
06:07 didn't let either one of them pick up a third one.
06:11 So that's why they went on a big run.
06:14 Those two guys' offense was better than our defense.
06:19 Harrison Ingram's post-ups were too good.
06:21 And then I thought that some of their guys like Seven Trimble,
06:28 I mean his two threes were back breakers when we tried to help a little bit.
06:34 >> And Layden, real quick, just thoughts on Tramon today, the game that he had.
06:38 >> I feel like Tramon, he played really well today.
06:42 He really kept us going at times, his scoring and
06:47 just his energy he brought just on both ends.
06:50 Just kind of heartbreaking what happened at the end at the foul, or
06:54 when he fell, but overall I think he played pretty good today.
06:57 >> Eric, you mentioned Ingram sort of playing out of the post and
07:02 facilitating from the block at times.
07:04 Does that just make a team more difficult to cover?
07:08 I mean, that's a look that UNC's not really shown a lot already this season.
07:12 But does that just sort of make them even harder to guard when he's doing that?
07:16 >> Yeah, I mean, I thought he had great patience in the post when he was crab
07:21 dribbling.
07:22 And we're just not as long as we have been for
07:27 the last nine years at the small forward spot.
07:30 I mean, we have a lot of guys, six, five, and we've had six, seven.
07:36 And that's a little bit of a hole in our roster right now,
07:41 is length at the three spot.
07:46 So we had it at Nevada with the Martin twins, and we had it with the Deese Tony,
07:52 and we had it with Stan Amude, and I thought that was a problem last night as well.
07:59 Small forward defending Jones, and I thought it was a problem.
08:05 Guarding Stanford at the three, that Jones.
08:09 So Jones, Jones, and Ingram have hurt us with length at the small forward spot.
08:16 >> Didn't you have such a short time [INAUDIBLE]
08:25 >> Yeah, I think, look, both teams beat us the last two nights.
08:32 I mean, I think they both played better than we did.
08:35 I've never been a part of a three game segment where,
08:39 like North Carolina's game ended before ours.
08:44 We had a meeting after we got back yesterday, and then we came back and
08:49 had another one.
08:50 It was 1045 by the time the guys got out of that one.
08:53 So to the general fan, three hours might not sound like much,
09:01 but we would have much rather been meeting at eight as opposed to 1030 or
09:07 whatever.
09:08 >> [INAUDIBLE]
09:15 >> That he's a star,
09:16 that he can take you off the bounce,
09:19 hard dribble drive with his right hand in the slot.
09:22 And he's a really good three point shooter.
09:25 So you gotta play the dribble drive and you gotta play the three.
09:29 I mean, he was playing, I mean, second half, he was incredible.