Turnovers, paint problems afflicted Arkansas basketball in College Station

Arkansas basketball's loss today might not hit the team hard in the NET, but it's a significant step back in the process they've made the last two or three weeks. Firstly, the trend of starting hot and then giving up a decent lead reared its ugly head. Secondly, the chemistry Hogs have generated seemed to disappear in College Station.

Arkansas basketball vs Texas A&M: Beyond the box score

Turnovers

Texas A&M's style of basketball is one of the least palatable in the sport. It's boring and ugly, and most of all, the points are few and far between. However, the Aggies score a significant portion of their points on second-chance opportunities.

So, with Arkansas holding them to seven second-chance points, the Hogs had the obvious advantage, right? Nope. Texas A&M made up for their deficiency with turnovers off turnovers.

Arkansas gave up 17 in the game, with 10 TOs coming in the first half. A&M scored 22 points, 32 percent of its points for the game.

The Aggie faithful would love to take credit for their team, but the blame lies on Arkansas. Their passing was horrendous, like DJ Wagners below. While it may be the most egregious example, the Hogs threw away their chances like that all day long.

Paint problems

The problems in the paint were twofold: no defensive physicality in the paint and almost No opportunities on offense.

On the defensive end, Arkansas's big man Zvonimir Ivisic was bullied in the post. It's nothing new, as it's only recently that he's started to have a massive role defensively. However, in the past few games, his offensive firepower made it nearly impossible to take him out of the game. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case today.

That brings us to the offense. The Razorbacks struggled to get paint touches, scoring only 22 points to A&M's 34. Although it wasn't just Ivisic, the Aggies totally removed his scoring role by locking down the lane and sticking to his hip like glue around the arc.

No answer for Andersson Garcia

The Aggies only had three players in double-figures, but one was Andersson Garcia, who came off the bench. Arkansas's frontcourt could not figure him out.

Garcia made one effort play after another, faked Razorback defenders on the three-point line despite shooting 26 percent from deep, and in the post, he made four of his seven shots and pulled in five boards.