Arkansas finally won its first conference game, beating Georgia 68-65 at home. After the poor start against SEC competition, news broke out that the Razorbacks' star point guard, Boogie Fland, will miss the remainder of the season due to injury. This left hog fans with little hope for turning the season around. However, this team was resilient and fought back from a 15-point deficit against Georgia.
Now that Boogie Fland is out for the year, the rotation is dropping from nine players to eight and other guys will need to step up to replace Fland's production. That's exactly what happened tonight as Adou Thiero and Karter Knox led the Hogs to a victory. The offense continued to struggle, but their saving grace was rebounding and free-throw shooting, which have not been strengths so far this season. It was an ugly win, but this may be the turning point they were looking for.
Beyond the Box Score: Georgia vs. Arkansas
Rebounding
Rebounding has not been a strength for the hogs this season. According to NCAA.com, Arkansas ranks 150th in the nation in rebounds at 36.26 per game. While they have come close, the Razorbacks have not won the rebounding battle against SEC competition until they played Georgia.
Winning the rebounding battle was a key factor in yesterday's win securing 40 boards to Georgia's 30. They were able to grab 18 offensive rebounds to Georgia's eight, which was crucial during the inefficient scoring night. The offensive boards led to easier shot attempts near the basket resulting in 33 second-chance points.
Free Throws
Drawing fouls and making free throws at a high rate has been an issue for Arkansas all year. They rank 219th in the nation at free throw attempts per game at 18.6 and 165th in free throw percentage at 72.24%, according to NCAA.com.
Arkansas shattered their free throw statistics in this game attempting 34 free throws and making 85.3%. Karter Knox (11-13) and Adou Thiero (7-9) led the team and combined shot 18 of 22 from the charity stripe. Free throws played a major role in the comeback win, as 25 of their 34 attempts came in the second half and 10 of their final 16 points came from the line.
Shooting Efficiency
The offense, as a whole, has been a weakness for the Razorbacks this season. They have been inconsistent and haven't been able to find their rhythm. A lack of offensive flow leads to inefficient scoring. Per NCAA.com, they rank 85th in field goal percentage at 46.85% and 251st in three-point percentage at 32.46%.
Last night, they continued their horrendous efficiency shooting 31% from the field and an abysmal 13% from three. It's understandable they would struggle offensively in their first game without Boogie Fland, but this was disastrous.