Behind Enemy Lines: Arkansas Razorbacks

Illinois was slotted as the No. 9 seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini will take on 8-seed Arkansas on Thursday at Well Fargo Arena in De Moines, Iowa. Tipoff is set for 3:30 pm CT.

Orange and Blue News caught up with Jackson Collier from HawgBeat.com to get the inside scoop on Arkansas ahead of the game.

Follow Jackson Collier on Twitter @JacksonCollier. Follow HawgBeat.com on Twitter @ArkansasRivals.

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MORE: 9-seed Illini have difficult path to second weekend

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What are the top storylines for Arkansas as it enters the NCAA Tournament?

JACKSON COLLIER: There are a couple given how the season has transpired. First, and most importantly, will Arkansas finally be able to put together a complete game when it matters the most? The Razorbacks have held multiple second-half leads, some even in double-digits, only to give them away in the second half.

The collapses can be due to inexperience, youth, lack of chemistry, lack of leadership, or a combination of all of the above. Arkansas has enough talent to win a lot of games and compete with most teams in the country, but does it have the mental fortitude?

Building off of that, the Razorbacks have two potential lottery picks in the starting lineup in Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black. Both have played at a high level, and it will be interesting to see how the Illini plans to defend them.

Give me a quick rundown of what the duo of Nick Smith and Anthony Black bring to the court.

JC: Nick Smith and Anthony Black are a very productive backcourt duo that have different skillsets. Both can function as the primary ballhandler or off the ball, and each takes a different approach about their roles.

When Smith is on-ball, he is full boar (pun intended), pushing the ball at all times and trying to beat the defense down the floor. Black seems more calculated with his pushes, bringing the ball up a little slower and analyzing the defense.

Both have great size, but Black is a legitimate rebounding and shot blocking threat at 6-foot-7. He has the ability to back down smaller guards in the post, as well, and defend bigger guards.

While Black isn't necessarily a shooter, he has proven that he can knock down an open outside shot, so he can't be left alone. Smith, on the other hand, can get hot in a hurry. His season percentage sits at just 34.4% right now but has gone over 60% in three of his 14 games so far this year.

Additionally, Smith has great lateral quickness, which allows him to be a sneakily good defender at going over screens and keeping up with smaller guards.

What kind of style and pace does coach Eric Musselman like to play?

JC: This season it has been a bit of a mixture of things. It seems most often the pace hasn't been super fast, but also not slow, while the offense has resembled something like a five-out standard motion offense. There is a ton of high ball screen actions and guards trying to make plays driving, drawing, and kicking, but there have not been as many designed sets or quick-hitters as in previous seasons under Musselman.

As mentioned above, the pace can get faster with Smith on ball, and his return really gave Arkansas the ability to catch defenses off guard with the contrast in styles between him and Black.

What are some team strengths that Illinois should be aware of?

JC: Arkansas has been very good at driving to the lane, drawing fouls, and blocking shots. Earlier in the season the frontcourt collectively was better about defending without fouling in the post.

For the most part, they still can be, but they also find themselves in foul trouble quite often. Shots at the rim have been difficult against the Razorbacks all season, but because of the aggressiveness in contesting attempts at the rim, they also tend to give up offensive rebounds and second chance points at a decent rate.

The Razorbacks are a drive-first offense because of a lack of three-point shooters and rely on drawing contact and getting to the free throw line as other Musselman-coached Arkansas teams have.

This year, however, the team isn't even shooting 70% from the free throw line, which is a far-cry from last year's 76%. The ability to penetrate can still be imposing just by being easier shots and potentially getting some of Illinois' players in foul trouble.

Arkansas dropped some games down the stretch. What were some of the issues they need to clean up?

JC: The main issues they need to clean up are defending without fouling, making free throws, not going on a minutes-long scoring drought, and not turning the ball over. Those are a lot, but they are the main areas Arkansas has struggled with in the second half of games all season.

What are your keys to the game versus Illinois?

JC: The keys to the game are essentially the answer to the above question. I like Arkansas' chances if they can defend without fouling and don't turn the ball over, as well as turn Illinois over.

However, defending without fouling has been a massive issue for the Razorbacks all season, so it will be hard to fix that for the NCAA Tournament if they haven't fixed it all season.

One thing that might mitigate that issue, though, is the Illini’S free throw shooting. They are one of the worst in the country at 68% from the charity stripe, even worse than Arkansas. If Illinois does not capitalize on the opportunities Arkansas will inevitably give them, it could leave the door open for the Razorbacks to win the game.

Do you have a prediction?

JC: Personally, I am very torn on this game. I think it will be one of the best first round matchups in the entire NCAA Tournament, in part because of the two programs and coaches they have, and also because the teams are just so similar this year.

This is going to sound like such a lawyer answer, but it really does depend. On a neutral floor with the trends and stats from both teams, I will give the narrowest of advantages to Arkansas because they get to the free throw line more, shoot a (marginally) higher free throw percentage, and force more turnovers, typically.

73-71 Arkansas.

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