Basketball (M)

Arkansas MBB Hosts North Texas Tuesday

November 10, 2019

Who: North Texas Mean Green
What: Game 2 of a five-game homestand to open 2019-20
When: Tuesday – Nov. 12, 2019 – 7:00 pm
Where: Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena – Fayetteville, Ark.
How (to follow):
– TV: SEC Network Plus (Brett Dolan and Manuale Watkins)
– CLICK HERE to Watch ESPN/SEC+ Online
– Radio: Learfield IMG College Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
– Sirius/XM: streaming online, channel 980
– Live Stats: www.Arkansas.StatBroadcast.com
– In Person: CLICK HERE to purchase tickets

 – Arkansas Game Notes: CLICK HERE
– North Texas Game Notes: CLICK HERE
– Fan Game Day Information: CLICK HERE

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas welcomes its second-straight member from Conference USA when the Razorbacks host North Texas on Tuesday (Nov. 12). Tip-off at Bud Walton Arena is set for 7:00 pm.

Versus North Texas

  • This will be the 15th meeting between Arkansas and North Texas. The series date back to the 1932-33 season and the squads last met on Nov. 28, 2014.
  • The Razorbacks own a 14-0 record versus the Mean Green, including an 8-0 mark in games played in Fayetteville.
  • North Texas is the second straight C-USA opponent for the Razorbacks top open the season. Western Kentucky (Dec. 7) will be a third C-USA member on the Razorbacks’ schedule this season

Looking for 2-0 Start

  • Arkansas is looking to open the season 2-0, a feat it is has accomplished 12 times over the last 16 seasons, including one streak of five straight seasons (2010-11 through 2014-15).

Recapping the Opener

  • Mason Jones had career highs for points (32), steals (5), field goals made (12) and field goals attempted (18). The 32 points by Mason Jones were the second-most by a Razorback in a season opener.
  • Isaiah Joe had a career-high seven assists,
  • Adrio Bailey had a career-high nine rebounds and tied a career-high with three steals.
  • The crowd of 17,274 was the largest for an Arkansas home opener since the 1997-98 season (18,948 versus Northeastern Illinois – a game Arkansas won 114-56). It was also the second-largest, on-campus crown in the NCAA among the opening games.
  • The 48-point win was the largest by the Razorbacks in a season opener since handing Jackson State a 62-point loss (130-68) to open the 2009-10 season.
  • Arkansas improved to 78-19 all-time in lid-lifters. Eric Musselman is 5-0 in both season and home openers as a collegiate head coach.

Defense

  • Arkansas’ defense was impressive in the season-opening win over Rice, especially the Razorbacks’ 3-point defense.
  • Arkansas held Rice to 8% shooting (2-of-25) from 3-point range. It was the lowest by a Razorback opponent since Northwestern State only made 7.1% (1-of-14) from 3-point range on Dec. 29, 2012.

                ^ The 8% was also the fourth-best defensive effort in the nation among opening games.

  • The 43 points scored by Rice were the lowest by an Arkansas opponent since the Razorbacks held Mississippi State to 41 on Feb. 7, 2016 – a game Arkansas won 61-41.
  • The 43 points were the lowest by an opponent in an Arkansas home opener since the Razorbacks’ opened the 1949-50 season with a 59-41 win over Pittsburg State.

                ^ The 43 points were also the 16th-best defensive effort in the nation among opening games.

  • Arkansas held Rice to 28.6% shooting overall (16-of-56).

                ^ The 28.6% was also the 22nd-best defensive effort in the nation among opening games.

  • The 19 first-half points allowed was the fewest by an opponent in an Arkansas season opener since 2002-03 when the Razorbacks held Jackson State to 16 in an 81-44 win.
  • The 24 second-half points allowed was the fewest by an opponent in an Arkansas season opener since 2007-08 when the Razorbacks held Wofford to 19 in a 67-45 win.
  • Arkansas forced Rice into 27 turnovers. It was the most by a Razorback opponent since Oral Roberts committed 27 on Dec. 19, 2017.

                ^ The 27 forced turnovers were also the 11th-best defensive effort in the nation among opening games.

Turnover Turnaround

  • An area of improvement Coach Musselman has identified for this team is the number of turnovers it has had — 18 each exhibition win and 21 in the season opener versus Rice.
  • After the season openers across the nation, Arkansas ranks 280th of 305 DI teams for turnovers and the 21 turnovers tied for the most by an Eric Musselman-coached team.
  • HOWEVER, if anyone can right the ship, it is Coach Musselman. Nevada went from ranking 200-plus in both assist-to-turnover ratio and turnovers per game in year one to ranking inside the NCAA top 26 each of the last three years.

                > In year one, Musselman’s squad in assist-to-turnover ratio went from:

Year 1: 232nd (0.97) in NCAA  >> Year 2: 13th (1.45) in NCAA  >>  Year 3: 2nd (1.68)in NCAA

                > In year one, Musselman’s squad in turnovers per game went from:

Year 1: 208th (13.0) in NCAA  >> Year 2: 26th (11.0) in NCAA  >>  Year 3: 4th (9.6) in NCAA

Isaiah Joe on Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List

  • Arkansas sophomore Isaiah Joe was named to the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
  • FANS CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE PLAYER AT: http://www.hoophallawards.com/men/vote.php

For more information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.

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