FAYETTEVILLE - Even in a 61-point win, there were things Kelsi Musick didn't love in Arkansas' 116-55 beatdown of Cameron on Thursday.
At the top of the list were three-point shooting and free throw shooting. Arkansas went only 6-34 (17.6 percent) from beyond the arc and 20-34 (58.8) percent from the charity stripe.
"It was very poor," Musick said bluntly of her team's shooting. "I think the biggest thing is we have to be more consistent. When you shoot free throws, it's about obviously confidence and being extremely consistent. But those two statistics were were definitely not very good, and we have to make sure that we improve those two things."
Had the Razorbacks shot the ball better on Thursday, they could've won by 100. Cameron turned the ball over 53 times and looked very uncomfortable offensively until the fourth quarter, when they began to break Arkansas' press.
Musick said that she told her team in the locker room that there's always something to work on. When video of her post-game speech was posted on Friday, it was clear that that was the case.
"You want to win, you gotta find a way all the time," Musick said. "And yes, we won. But if I just come in here and be like, 'Oh, that's great', and don't be honest with you, then I'm not doing my job."
Musick's sternness after such a dominant victory is a good thing for a program looking to change the narrative around it. The Hogs won only a single SEC game last season and were largely uncompetitive in conference play. It's clear based off of Musick's comments that a similar season won't be tolerated.
"You're better than that, and I have to push you to greatness," Musick said. "Because we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard. If you're supposed to beat someone by 80, then beat 'em by 80. When you come out here Monday, if you don't bring it, you're gonna have a slip-up that's costly. Not only costly, but embarrassing."
Arkansas had several of those "embarrassing" slip-ups in Musick's first year at the helm. The Hogs barely escaped with close wins over UCA and Southeastern Louisiana, were beat 69-51 by Harvard in Fayetteville and, much to the chagrin of the late John Barnhill and Frank Broyles, lost to Arkansas State inside Bud Walton Arena.
When the Razorbacks open their season on Monday against New Orleans, it's clear that Musick doesn't want another similar blemish on her resume or that of Arkansas.
"Every team that comes in here - what league do you play in? The SEC," Musick said. "Every team that comes in here, they want a feather in their cap and they want to beat you. They don't care. They want to beat you. I promise you."
Tip-off between Arkansas and New Orleans is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, with coverage on SECN+ and the Razorback Sports Network.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arkansas as Musick's Fiery Locker Room Speech A Warning To Hogs To Not Take Anyone Lightly .
