Nate Allen
FAYETTEVILLE - Peak leading by 17 during their 42-28 first half, the Arkansas Razorbacks staggered a bit in the second half down to a 3-point lead but closed their exhibition game 68-60 victorious over the University of North Texas Mean Green Saturday afternoon at Walton Arena.
Their second and final exhibition having edged East Central University (Okla.) of Division II, 77-74 the previous weekend, the Razorbacks play for real their next outing, the Nov. 9 season-opener against Mercer University at Walton.
UNT’s Mean Green, not only Division 1 like the SEC Razorbacks but the reigning Conference USA Tournament champion plus a first-round victory over Big Ten power Purdue in the NCAA Tournament last March, is a better team than the ECU team the Razorbacks played last week, Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman asserted.
Accordingly Musselman lauded, especially during their 18-0 first half run, the Hogs 3-point shooting and 3-point defense he deemed lacking against ECU and their improved free throw shooting.
Arkansas’ 3-point shooting against UNT improved to 7 of 18 after sinking but 2 of 16 against ECU and the free throws improved from 17 of 29 to 19 of 26.
“We’ve shown behind closed doors and probably in the two exhibitions games that we can be a team that can go on a 15-1 run or an 18-0 run or 18-4,” Musselman said. “We have that ability in a short stretch when we play defense. I thought our defense was much, much improved tonight. We knew that North Texas could really shoot the ball from three. If you look at their percentages career-wise coming into the game, they’re about as a good a shooting a team as you’ll see at the mid-major level. But they go 4 for 26. We’re staying closer to the shooters.”
But too far off the boards. Getting outrebounded, 42-28 and an even more displeasing to him 10 assists vs. 14 turnovers Saturday than the displeasing nine assists vs 10 turnovers than assists against ECU, are among the corrections that Musselman vowed to be address in the intervening practices between the exhibition over UNT and the opener against Mercer.
For plusses Saturday, Musselman had senior guard JD Notae as his leading scorer with 21 points, via University of South Dakota transfer forward Stanley Umude tallying 12 points with five rebounds and a shot block after a disastrous debut against ECU, and via University of Miami guard Chris Lykes scoring 14 points and making a key steal and basket, Musselman said after UNT had cut the Arkansas lead to five during the second half.
“ I thought the turning point in the game was his steal,” Musselman said. “We needed a stop. Obviously we weren't going to get a defensive rebound if they missed, because that was an atrocious job on the defensive glass, so I thought his live-ball steal was really, really impactful in the outcome and it was timely, as well.”
Lykes also assisted the dunk to Au’Diese Toney for 58-53 after UNT cut it to three.
Foul trouble, 48 fouls were called with 25 on UNT and 23 on Arkansas, plagued both teams including two marquee Preseason All-Conference Players.
UNT Preseason All-Conference USA forward Thomas Bell and Arkansas Preseason All-SEC guard Devo Davis each sat early in the first half with four fouls and totaled only 20 minutes each.
Bell fouled out with six points and added a technical foul protesting his fifth foul with 1:59 left.
Davis scored seven points and was criticized by Musselman for some of his shot selection but down the stretch made a deflection become an assist for a Trey Wade 3-point play.
Wade, the transfer power forward via Wichita State injured most of preseason, debuted logging 17 off the bench minutes with five points and four rebounds.
“I came into the game with the thought process that Trey would play 5 minutes per half,” Musselman said. “But I felt like he was in a little bit better condition than I thought he would be after being out. thought he gave us a physicality out there maybe that we lacked when he wasn't on the floor.”
The Hogs needed Wade’s physicality. Starting 6-10, 240 sophomore letterman center Jaylin Williams sat out Saturday’s game because of back spasms while power forward Kamani Johnson, a transfer via the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, has a been sidelined all preseason by an injured wrist.
Johnson’s cast is scheduled for Tuesday removal, Musselman said.
Though only 1 of 6 on 3-pointers, guard Mardrez McBride led UNT with 16 points.
Junior college transfer guard Tylor Perry, who played high school ball both for Springdale Har-Ber and Springdale High before finishing high school in Spiro, Okla., scored 15 for the Mean Green while UNT forward Abou Osmane bagged a game-leading 10 rebounds.