Arkansas basketball season on life support after lopsided loss to South Carolina
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas basketball season is back on life support after another home blowout, this time at the hands of South Carolina.
The Razorbacks (10-8, 1-4 SEC) never led Saturday in a 77-64 loss to the Gamecocks (15-3, 3-2). Arkansas struggled mightily on both ends of the floor and looks less-and-less like a team capable of reaching the NCAA Tournament with each passing week.
B.J. Mack dominated Arkansas Saturday, scoring 18 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. The Hogs had no answer for the South Carolina big man, who was a presence inside and also knocked down three three-pointers.
Here are four observations from another disappointing afternoon inside Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas basketball still can't solve rebounding issues
South Carolina entered Saturday averaging a winning rebound margin of plus-4 per game, but the Gamecocks dominated the glass against Arkansas and won the battle on the boards 39-27. They had a 12-rebound advantage at halftime.
Head coach Eric Musselman gave all three centers — Chandler Lawson, Jalen Graham and Makhi Mitchell — opportunities early in the first half. None of them could match South Carolina's physicality, leading Musselman to play a four-guard lineup early in the second half. That group couldn't survive on the glass, either.
Opposing teams are getting too many extra possessions against Arkansas this year. Those extra shots nearly cost Arkansas against Texas A&M Tuesday, and it played a big part in Saturday's disappointing loss to South Carolina.
Where were the stars?
Tramon Mark, Davonte Davis and Trevon Brazile combined for just 8 points in the first half as Arkansas fell behind. Mark got going during a short spurt in the second half and finished with 18 points, but the trio totaled just 29.
It's been an incredibly disappointing season for Brazile, specifically. Arkansas' highest-rated NBA Draft prospect is averaging just 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds. Those stats aren't terrible, but the Razorbacks simply need more production from their stretch-four.
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Nothing easy for the offense
Arkansas continues to struggle generating good looks on offense. The Razorbacks had just 9 assists Saturday and scored 8 fast-break points. They were also 12-for-21 on layups, and even worse, 5-of-18 on three-pointers.
Aside from Tuesday's first half against Texas A&M, the Arkansas offense finds itself in an SEC slog.
A lack of trust throughout the roster
In recent weeks, Musselman has spoken about a need to cut down the rotation. Unfortunately, the Arkansas head coach has no idea who deserves to be on the floor night-to-night.
Twelve different Razorbacks played in the first half as Musselman searched for answers on the defensive glass and within his offensive sets. None of those 12 players separated themselves as Arkansas fell behind 39-27 at halftime.
Mark likely deserves minutes every single night, but who else? Arkansas lacks an identity at the moment because it lacks consistency. Until Musselman locks down a rotation he can trust, the Hogs will continue on this roller-coaster season.
Last season, Arkansas lost 12 games in the regular season before qualifying for March Madness as a No. 8 seed. The Hogs are well on their way to a worse showing this campaign.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball suffers lopsided home loss to South Carolina
