FAYETTEVILLE - The No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks led for all but the first 14 seconds of Tuesday night's 106-61 victory over UA-Pine Bluff, building a 25-2 lead first half lead and never looking back.
The Razorbacks overwhelmed the Golden Lions with relentless defensive pressure, which led to outlets the other direction and received an impressive debut from sparkplug transfer guard Jeremiah Wilkinson.
There was plenty to like about Arkansas' first official outing, but there were some deficiencies that are worth looking into before the team's first big non-conference game of the season on Sunday against Virginia.
The Razorbacks got out in transition early and often against the Golden Lions, outscoring them 45-6 in fast break opportunities by forcing UAPB into 16 steals and 32 points off turnovers.
For a halfcourt offense that's described as a work in progress by third-year coach John Calipari, getting points in bunches by playing fast is probably the way he likes it for now.
Arkansas' length is going to cause problems for opponents this year, and that was definitely the case on Tuesday as Wilkinson led the way with five steals, while freshman guard Jordan Smith Jr. added three. JJ Andrews, Davion Thompson and Miikka Muurinen each contributed two against UAPB.
Those kind of opportunities aren't going to be available every single night against marquee non-conference opponents or when SEC play opens in January. However, it has to be encouraging for Calipari that so many of his players understand how to generate pressure and create scoring opportunities going the other way.
If there is a single player on this roster who is capable of going on a sudden offensive eruption it's going to be junior shooting guard Jeremiah Wilkinson. He showed tonight why he was such a touted addition out of the transfer portal from Georgia because he is such a lethal scorer who can find the bucket from just about anywhere on the floor.
Wilkinson connected on over 35% of his attempts beyond the arc last season, and Calipari decided to use him primarily in an off-ball role alongside true freshman Jordan Smith to potentially bring a lightning and thunder effect to the floor.
He showed that could be the case on Tuesday with 23 points, six rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block while connecting on 7-of-11 attempts from the field (63.6%) and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc (57.1%).
What a debut night it was for Wilkinson against the Golden Lions, as his 23 points are tied for the third-most in an Arkansas debut since 1977-78, and the most since Connor Vanover's 23 against Mississippi Valley State in 2020, according to Hog Stats .
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Abdou Toure (1) shoots a free throw during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Bud Walton Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Aside from Wilkinson, the rest of Arkansas' roster struggled beyond the arc connecting on just 2-of-11 attempts. One was from true freshman Davion Thompson, who drilled his only shot from three on his first attempt but missed his other two.
Reserve freshman big man Ilia Frolov played the final 4:07 of the second half and hit one off a fastbreak to give the Razorbacks a 45-point lead with less than two minutes to go in the second half.
It's also worth noting that some of Arkansas' ineffectiveness beyond the arc can be attributed to success in the paint as the Razorbacks scored 54 points in the paint and shot 54.7% overall. That provided more than enough reasoning for Calipari's team not to settle for perimeter shots, especially when the Golden Lions instituted a zone defense in the second half.
Arkansas has plenty of capable shooters from three-point range including Miikka Muurinen, Billy Richmond III, Abdou Toure, JJ Andrews and Smith. They'll need to find more success over the next couple of practices ahead of team's trip to Washington D.C. where they'll take on Virginia on Sunday.
The Cavaliers' defense forced teams into shooting only 31.6% from three-point range last season, which ranked No. 4 among ACC teams and No. 54 nationally, according to NCAA Stats . During Virginia's 89-60 victory over Drexel Tuesday night, the Dragons made 8-of-25 attempts (32%).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as What I Liked And Didn't Like About Arkansas' Dominant Victory Over UA-Pine Bluff .
