Arkansas basketball overcomes sluggish offense, survives UNC Greensboro

FAYETTEVILLE — Offense was hard to come by in No. 8 Arkansas basketball's game against UNC Greensboro on Tuesday. Arkansas (8-1) had to fight for every point, but the Razorbacks gutted out an ugly 65-58 win over UNCG (4-6). It was Arkansas' lowest point total this season.

The Razorbacks shot just 33% from the field, their worst mark of the season by far.

In the first half, Arkansas went more than eight minutes without a point, missing 12 consecutive shot attempts. Fortunately for the Razorbacks, UNCG didn't fare much better. In the first half, the Spartans were 9-for-31 from the field to Arkansas' 9-for-30.

The difference early was beyond the arc: UNCG was 4-for-15, while Arkansas went 0-for-8. That gave the Spartans a 5-point lead at the break.

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The second half started better. Nick Smith Jr., who led all scorers with 22 points, started things off with Arkansas' first made 3-pointer of the game. Smith scored more in the first 3:15 of the second half than he did in the whole first half.

Arkansas made five of its first 10 shots of the half, then missed eight of its next 10. The Razorbacks managed a late burst of offense and outscored the Spartans 17-9 in the final five-and-a-half minutes to escape with the win.

"All the credit goes to UNCG from a defensive standpoint, but we have a lot of guys just not play as well as they have been," coach Eric Musselman said. "But I thought down the stretch our guys played composed."

Uncharacteristic defense

Arkansas' defense has been consistently strong in the early part of the season. The Razorbacks typically excel in perimeter defense and forcing turnovers. The Spartans' nine made 3-pointers tied the most by any of Arkansas' opponents so far, and they gave up only nine turnovers.

"Defending the threes, some nights we’ve been incredible," Musselman said. "Tonight, we just took a step backward offensively and defensively. On Thursday and Friday, we’ve got to try to get right."

What Arkansas lacked in its usual strengths it made up for in protecting the rim. The Razorbacks had nine blocks, including four by Makhi Mitchell.

Makhi Mitchell's strong effort

Even outside of his four blocks, Mitchell had one of his best performances to date. He achieved a double-double with more than nine minutes still to play. It was his first double-double of the season.

Mitchell finished with 13 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. It was his best game since he had 14 points and nine boards in Arkansas' win against Troy.

Guard Davonte Davis also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds despite going 3-for-13 from the field.

Trevon Brazile injured early

Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile left the game late in the first half. He went down clutching his knee and was helped to the locker room, appearing to put very little weight on his right leg. He did not return to the game.

According to the SEC Network broadcast, Brazile's injury is "not expected to be long-term."

Brazile was 0-for-3 with two rebounds at the time of his injury.

"On a night when we were really struggling, it certainly changed the complexion (of the game)," Musselman said of the injury. "We had a lot of players playing out of position that we’ll have to try to get corrected very quickly.... We need everybody ready to play from start to finish."

Up next

Arkansas will travel to Tulsa to play Oklahoma on Dec. 10 (noon CT, ESPN2).

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball survives UNC Greensboro despite sluggish offense