What to watch for in Arkansas-South Carolina

Razorbacks wing Ricky Council reacts after making a play during Arkansas' game against Texas A&M on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — After three consecutive SEC home games, Arkansas’ men’s basketball team is back on the road in league play this weekend.

The Razorbacks will face South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday and look to notch their first road win of the season. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. Central on SEC Network.

Here are a handful of things to watch for:

Can Council continue his roll?

Following a stretch in which Ricky Council scored a combined 12 points on 5 of 19 from the floor against Ole Miss and LSU, he has fallen back into a rhythm of sorts for the Razorbacks.

Council scored a game-high 25 points at Baylor last Saturday, then pitched in 19 in Tuesday’s 81-70 victory over Texas A&M. He was a spark offensively against the Aggies, and his numerous pro-like moments in Waco, Texas, nearly led to Arkansas picking up a marquee win.

Council’s play was impressive enough at Baylor that KenPom.com designated him the game's MVP despite the Razorbacks falling 67-64.

The bouncy wing has been a challenge for opponents to defend of late. Council is knocking down his mid-range jumper at a quality clip and making enough threes to give himself shot credibility.

In turn, his perimeter shot fake has become more of a weapon and created opportunities to drive the ball, which is the strength of his game. Minus a few tough three-pointers late in the shot clock, Council has largely taken shots in his wheelhouse and been decisive attacking mismatches.

Though the SEC has a number of talented individual defenders, few are equipped to consistently defend Council 1-on-1 when his handle — and crossover — is as tight as it has been lately. Look for him to be in attack mode against the Gamecocks, who have allowed three of their last four league opponents to make at least 61.5% of two-point attempts.

While impressive as a scorer in the last week, Arkansas coach Eric Musselman on Thursday gave Council props for his shot creation for teammates. He has 13 assists in the last 3 games, including 11 against LSU and Texas A&M.

“He's reading over-helps and (has) done a great job getting some other teammates involved with some easy dump-off passes for dunks or spray-out, kick-out three-balls,” Musselman said. “I think that's why you're seeing some of our other players improve their three-point shooting, because of (Anthony Black’s) passing and Ricky being a facilitator.”

The Razorbacks scored 1.11 points per possession with Council on the floor in the last two games, according to HoopLens data. And they have made 59.5% of their two-point attempts, in part, because of Council’s creativity as a scorer and passer.

Impact of Makhel Mitchell

Seldom used in the early stages of the season, the 6-10 Rhode Island transfer appears with each passing game to be growing into an essential part of the equation in Arkansas’ frontcourt.

It makes sense given his combination of productivity and toughness.

Makhel Mitchell, on a sore foot, blocked three shots at Baylor and seven shots Tuesday against Texas A&M, serving as a stout last line of defense for the Razorbacks. The Aggies and Bears, according to HoopLens, shot 34.6% on two-point attempts in the forward’s 87 defensive possessions.

“He just makes the best of it. Extremely proud of him,” said forward Makhi Mitchell, Makhel's brother. “I think everybody else on the team is proud of him, too. He's finding himself within this team.”

Makhel Mitchell is an intriguing player because he has shown in most appearances to be a deterrent on the interior. He has 9 multi-block outings this season, and 5 have come in Arkansas’ last 7 games.

Musselman on Tuesday said the Razorbacks are doing “some unique things” with Makhel Mitchell defensively in regards to his defensive placement. He acted as a goalie of sorts when Arkansas threw its half-court trap at Baylor and Texas A&M.

Having a player who contributes 7.3 blocks and 2.6 steals per 100 possessions played, according to Sports Reference, as the anchor of that defensive look is sound strategy. Makhel Mitchell owns a team-best defensive rating of 93.7 in SEC play.

Makhi Mitchell, per Sports Reference, is No. 2 at 98.0.

No team in the SEC has had two-point field goal attempts blocked at a higher rate in league games than the Gamecocks — 14.1%, per KenPom. It feels like another game in which Makhel Mitchell can be a presence around the rim.

South Carolina lacking a big who can stretch the floor may allow him to focus on protecting the lane. Contending with 7-foot center Josh Gray on the glass will be a challenge. He has 20 offensive boards in the Gamecocks’ last four games.

GG Jackson and Meechie Johnson

Essentially everything South Carolina does offensively involves these two. They are averaging a combined 27.7 points per game in SEC play on 27.8 field goal attempts.

Jackson is a 6-9 do-it-all freshman who has been tasked with shouldering a lot of the Gamecocks’ offensive load. According to KenPom data, he is third in league-only games in shot percentage, attempting 33.6% of South Carolina’s field goal attempts when on the floor.

Jackson is shooting under 37% on two-point looks and below 27% from three-point range, but he is more than capable of giving opponents fits. He scored 30 points on Auburn on Jan. 21 and 20 at Florida the next time out.

Hoop-Math numbers indicate much of Jackson’s offense is self-created. Only 4 of 32 made two-point jumpers have been assisted, and just 18 of 59 scores at the rim have come directly after a teammate’s pass.

But 26 of his 39 three-pointers have been set up by another Gamecock, so he is a bit more reliant on others in that regard.

“It’ll be important for us to locate him as soon as he crosses half court,” Musselman said. “He’s a three-dimensional scorer in the fact he can post up, he can offensive rebound (and) he’s got deep three-point range. He’s a high-volume shooter.”

Musselman added that Johnson is the table-setter for South Carolina and also possesses deep range. He made 3 of 7 threes in Tuesday’s loss to Mississippi State after a 4-of-28 funk beyond the arc in the previous 4 games.

The Ohio State transfer has attempted 5 two-point looks and 7.4 threes per game in SEC play. Arkansas’ perimeter defenders must be on high alert when Johnson has possession beyond the arc.

His fearless shot-taking can weigh down the Gamecocks’ offense, but it also keyed the team's win at Kentucky.

Generating turnovers and easy scores

Arkansas, according to KenPom data, posted two of its four lowest defensive turnover rates of the season against Baylor and Texas A&M.

Meanwhile, South Carolina recorded its worst offensive turnover percentage of the season earlier this week against Mississippi State (28.5%). The Gamecocks are last in league-only games in that category, giving the ball away on 21.2% of possessions.

Should the Razorbacks be able to disrupt a struggling South Carolina offense through playing passing lanes and applying great pressure on the ball, it would go a long way toward getting in the win column on the road and building confidence ahead of Tuesday's trip to Kentucky.

Jackson and Johnson are averaging 6.5 turnovers per game in conference play, and they combined for 22 miscues in the last two games.

According to CBB Analytics, Arkansas is averaging 8.8 points off turnovers in road games, down from 19.6 in home games and 20.8 on neutral floors. 

The Razorbacks, though, scored 21 fast-break points Tuesday against the Aggies. It was their highest total in a game since adding 23 against San Jose State on Dec. 3.

Arkansas has not scored more than seven fast-break points in a road game. Running when opportunities present themselves could benefit the Razorbacks against a team outside the top 300 nationally in tempo.