El Ellis' revival shows high ceiling and frustrations of Arkansas basketball season
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — El Ellis helped his own cause in a return to the starting lineup Tuesday night when the point guard passed a secret test in the buildup to the Arkansas basketball game against Texas A&M.
After a thrilling and necessary 78-77 win over the Aggies that included a game-winner from Tramon Mark, head coach Eric Musselman sat in his postgame press conference and detailed a key moment during a recent Razorbacks' practice.
"I was putting in a play. Didn’t call out five guys, and (Ellis) jumped out there," Musselman said. "I was already going to start him, but when he did that, kind of showed the whole staff he wanted to be in that first group. I didn’t call a first five on purpose. I wanted to see who the first five were eager to get out there as we were adding something. Look, we need him to play well."
When Arkansas (10-7, 1-3 SEC) has been at its best — including wins over Duke and a 3-0 start to the season — Ellis has been a key figure in the rotation. But he's been anything but consistent this season, with Musselman turning to other guards at any sign of trouble from the Louisville transfer.
More: Arkansas basketball must reverse two-year trend to make this season's NCAA Tournament
Ellis entered Tuesday having played just 35 combined minutes in the last seven games. On Tuesday, Ellis finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He played 31 minutes and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
Only Mark, who finished with a career-high 35 points, scored more than Ellis.
"It felt really good to be out there," Ellis said. "You just always got to be ready when your number is called. Tonight my number was called. I just went out there and played confident. Tried to get my teammates involved. The key was we had to rebound the ball and that’s what we did."
The uptick in production coinciding with added game time is a welcome sign for Musselman and the Hogs, but it's also a perfect example of why this Arkansas team has struggled so mightily to find consistency.
Eleven different Hogs, including Ellis, are averaging at least 10 minutes a game this season. Only Mark has found a rhythm this season, with the other 10 struggling to make meaningful impacts on a night-to-night basis. Khalif Battle, who is the Hogs' second-leading scorer this season, didn't play a single minute Tuesday night. Musselman said it was purely a coach's decision.
Arkansas' record represents a middling team who needs a miracle late-season run to reach the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn't the full story. The Arkansas ceiling is one of the highest across the country. The Hogs have shown in a win over Duke and a preseason victory over Purdue they can hang with the best teams in the nation.
Unfortunately, the floor is equally low. The first three losses in the SEC were by an average margin of 21.3 points. There are so many players, like Ellis, who can make a winning impact. The problem for Musselman this season is trying to find which players he can trust.
The answers are different each night.
More: Tramon Mark saves Arkansas basketball with game-winner against Texas A&M
On Tuesday, Ellis was one of the solutions. Will he return to the starting lineup and be a figure in the rotation Saturday against South Carolina?
"Tonight was shrinking the rotation and you know, who knows whose day it will be Saturday," Musselman said. "I have no idea. None of you guys know. That locker room probably doesn’t know."
The extreme variations of this Arkansas season can't be a surprise when no one knows what to expect from a rotation standpoint. If the Hogs are about to embark on a second-half turnaround, Musselman desperately needs fewer tests in practice and more nights like Tuesday from Ellis and the complimenting pieces around Mark.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: El Ellis plays key role in Arkansas basketball's win over Texas A&M
