Arkansas Razorbacks forward Makhi Mitchell with the media Wednesday afternoon previewing Saturday's matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners in the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
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00:00 - You know, you've always been a pretty good shot blocker,
00:02 but this year the team's really doing well
00:05 in terms of number of blocks.
00:07 Just wondering what your thoughts are on that,
00:09 how important that is.
00:11 - Shot blocking is definitely something big for us,
00:16 you know, with our length and athleticism.
00:18 And coach always says we can all have the ability to,
00:24 we just got to do it.
00:25 So I think we've done a good job tracking the ball
00:29 and helping out a man that's in front of the ball out.
00:33 Also the guards have been getting blocks like T-Mark.
00:38 I think KB got a few and Devo got a few as well.
00:42 So definitely important.
00:44 - I think Layden got three the other night.
00:47 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, Layden also.
00:49 - Are you kind of jealous or do you think,
00:50 hey man, that's too many blocks for you little guys,
00:53 you need to save them for those big guys.
00:55 What do you think about that?
00:56 - I mean, that's what I'm known for.
00:58 So, I mean, it was nothing.
01:00 I mean, there's no competition.
01:02 - Do you feel like, I mean, the NCAA,
01:06 the box score didn't say altered shots,
01:08 but do you feel like when you guys are blocking shots,
01:09 especially that game you had 15,
01:11 you've had 10 a couple of times,
01:12 when you guys get blocks early,
01:14 I mean, 10 against the Duke,
01:15 I don't think too many teams do that.
01:17 Can you get a sense that maybe teams
01:19 are getting a little gun shy
01:20 or you're affecting other shots,
01:22 even if you're not blocking them?
01:24 - Just the length is just really what affects the shot.
01:28 You know, being able to create like a,
01:34 how would I say?
01:35 Just any way to cause pressure on the shot
01:40 is what's big for us.
01:43 Coach preached that and the guys listened to it, so.
01:46 - Yeah, I got a couple more,
01:48 but I'll turn it back to Mike, thanks.
01:50 - Curtis.
01:53 - Hey, Kai, I think Oklahoma was picked 12th
01:55 in the preseason, the big 12,
01:56 obviously they're undefeated, nationally ranked,
01:59 and you guys are trying to climb back up
02:00 after a couple of early setbacks.
02:02 I guess, you know, what's the mindset of the team,
02:05 you know, about this opportunity
02:06 and maybe the importance of this matchup on Saturday?
02:09 - Just take every game as one game at a time.
02:14 Coach and coach always preaches
02:16 that we got to respect our opponent,
02:18 no matter who they is.
02:19 It could be Purdue, Duke, ODU,
02:23 we got to respect them every night
02:25 because every player's good in this NCAA league, so.
02:30 Sheesh, we just going to take it one game at a time
02:34 and continue to listen to coach on the game plan
02:38 on how to beat these, you know,
02:41 next coming games we got going into the SEC play.
02:43 So I think that's a best plan for us.
02:48 - I don't know how far you guys have gotten
02:50 into scouting report on Oklahoma yet,
02:52 but what do you make of them as a team so far
02:55 and maybe specifically, you know,
02:56 your matchups there in the front court?
02:58 - They're a good team, offensively.
03:01 We do know that they've added some athleticism
03:06 and strength at the guard spots and stuff like that.
03:09 So coach has done a good job of, you know,
03:14 getting us ready, preparing us for film
03:17 of guys and stuff like that.
03:18 And, you know, we just going to continue to abide
03:23 by coach's rules, you know, once he makes certain rules,
03:26 like to certain players and stuff.
03:28 So we just going to follow the game plan.
03:30 - Scottie?
03:32 - Kai, that kind of leads me into my question.
03:35 How do you feel like you guys have followed the game plans
03:38 in kind of each game this year?
03:40 - I mean, we've pretty much done a good job
03:43 up until like UNCG.
03:47 You know, the plan was like to not let them shoot
03:51 as many threes and, you know, players are good,
03:56 like coach said, in this league.
03:58 So a couple of guys got hot.
04:01 I mean, pretty much for the most part,
04:03 I think we've done a good job.
04:04 And also like we probably had a couple of days
04:08 of preparation while we was in the Bahamas,
04:12 but, you know, no excuses.
04:13 We still got to be prepared.
04:16 - I was looking at some of Oklahoma's numbers earlier.
04:18 They finished really well at the rim, I think over 70%.
04:22 Like in your mind, how do you keep this team
04:24 or any team that's good around the rim
04:26 from being effective at the rim?
04:28 - It's going to take good rim protection,
04:31 good on-ball defense, all five guys, you know,
04:37 good nail help, as we call it, good stunts
04:41 when the ball is kicked out, good X-outs.
04:44 I think it's going to take pretty much everything
04:47 to win this game, but a tremendous job by like bigs
04:51 like myself, Chandler, and Trevor Brazeal
04:55 with the rim protection.
04:56 - The last thing I have,
04:58 you've played in BOK Center against OU before.
05:01 What is that environment like to play in
05:03 and what do you remember about last year?
05:05 I think you played really well last year,
05:07 I think with four assists.
05:08 - It was a great environment, you know,
05:11 it's like, I mean, it's just another game for me,
05:13 but it was a great environment for sure.
05:16 I definitely liked it, I felt the atmosphere.
05:20 It was like pretty, like 50/50 with Arkansas fans,
05:24 Oklahoma fans, but it was good and we played hard
05:28 and the outcome was what it was.
05:30 - Jackson.
05:32 - Hey, Makai, I know it's a long season
05:37 but a lot's kind of changed in just a week
05:40 since the battle for Atlantis.
05:41 You know, you guys have the win over Duke and Tremont's back.
05:44 I mean, are there noticeably like much better vibes
05:49 within the team right now
05:50 than when you guys were done at the Bahamas
05:52 or have you been pretty even keel
05:53 throughout the start of the season?
05:56 - I think things have been pretty even.
05:58 We've done a good job with like coming together
06:02 and jailing, you know, I think the Bahamas really helped us
06:07 in terms of like togetherness and stuff like that
06:11 and being all in.
06:12 And yeah, we've been pretty tight.
06:16 - What's the emotional boost just been like
06:21 having, you know, Tremont back with the team
06:24 and it was a scary fall,
06:25 but he really hasn't missed too much time.
06:27 - Extremely excited, nothing bad.
06:32 You're talking about his ankle, right?
06:34 - I was talking about Tremont.
06:36 - Oh, oh, man, I'm thinking you're talking
06:38 about traveling Brazil, oh man.
06:40 Tremont, nah, that was a scary fall.
06:43 I thought you was talking about traveling Brazil,
06:45 but we all was sad, a couple of guys crying on the bench
06:50 and stuff like that.
06:51 Even the UNC fans was asking about him, man.
06:55 We was letting them know that he was okay.
06:58 I even sent a text to our trainer
06:59 that to see, just to check on him,
07:03 any type of information we can get.
07:05 But once he texts, we all love the message.
07:08 We all text him and stuff like that.
07:10 And it's kind of scary seeing him the next day
07:14 in a wheelchair.
07:15 So we just had high hopes for him
07:18 and said our prayers and stuff like that.
07:20 And, you know, I'm glad he's back though, for sure.
07:23 - Fox, you got a question?
07:26 Bob?
07:28 - Yeah, so just staying on the T-Mark theme,
07:33 like you say, he was on a wheelchair,
07:34 you know, I'm sure that was a precaution.
07:36 We probably couldn't move around very well.
07:38 And then to think about 10 days after he's in a wheelchair
07:40 on your flight home, he's out there playing,
07:43 you know, 20 plus minutes.
07:45 And just how impressive is that?
07:48 And Eric said he showed up every day
07:50 to practice in his gear,
07:51 even though he wasn't gonna practice.
07:52 Just kind of, just wondering your thoughts on that.
07:56 - Definitely showed toughness.
07:57 I like that a lot.
07:59 I kind of figured that he was that type of gritty player.
08:02 I kind of like it, honestly.
08:06 It definitely showed me a lot.
08:08 It showed the team, like, he has toughness
08:10 and he, despite anything that happened,
08:13 he wants to be with the team.
08:14 So I was definitely impressed with that.
08:17 - And then I know he, you know,
08:19 maybe he didn't play as well the other night
08:21 as he normally would, 'cause he's, you know,
08:23 missing practice and he's still,
08:24 I'm sure he's still going through stuff.
08:26 But what'd you think of the way he played
08:29 and then maybe how much better he could play,
08:30 maybe looking more like his old self on Saturday?
08:33 - He gonna get back into it,
08:36 getting the flow on the game.
08:38 He definitely said, definitely was a hard fall.
08:40 He definitely didn't look like his self,
08:43 but he'll be back.
08:44 - Now, another thing on the block shots,
08:47 obviously you didn't have, you know,
08:49 Trevin for most of last year,
08:50 of course, you lose your brother.
08:53 He had a ton of blocks too.
08:55 And then Chandler's blocking a lot,
08:57 but what's it mean, you know, to have TB,
09:00 hopefully he's okay for Saturday,
09:01 but, you know, moving forward for the season to have him
09:03 and then Chandler's addition in terms of the block shots.
09:06 - It's definitely something that we preach.
09:09 Like I said, something that we set the stand up
09:13 from last year, so,
09:14 but then to have that same type of mentality
09:19 is definitely good for the team.
09:21 - And one more, I think I'll use about a plus 10
09:23 or plus nine something on rebound margin.
09:26 And I know they hit the offensive boards hard
09:29 and Furman had, I think, 15 offensive boards
09:32 the other night.
09:33 That was one thing y'all didn't do real well.
09:35 But what do you think about their rebounding margin
09:37 and just what do you guys maybe have to do
09:39 to rebound against those guys and not give up,
09:41 you know, the second chance points and offensive boards?
09:44 - It's going to take all five of us
09:46 to get better at practice.
09:50 I think we probably do something today.
09:52 Some coach probably make up something
09:56 that'll get us better.
09:59 - Yeah, so I got one more.
10:01 Eric's gone over this a couple of times,
10:02 how there's different scouting reports.
10:04 Like it used to be an assistant coach would take game X
10:07 and another coach would take game Y and whatever.
10:09 And now the guys are all kind of doing the same thing
10:11 where somebody takes personnel, somebody takes, you know,
10:15 plays, somebody takes whatever.
10:17 And these are the players like that.
10:19 What's the difference in the way the scouting reports
10:21 are presented?
10:22 How's that been?
10:23 - They've been giving us a lot of information.
10:28 Leading up to games, scouting posts, like you said,
10:33 rules, like I said before, the coach, like,
10:35 as we watch a film, implement like rules on players,
10:40 like certain tendencies that we want to stop.
10:42 So it's been good overall.