As if beating Arkansas tomorrow for a trip to the Sweet 16 is not inspirational enough, questionable remarks by numerous Razorbacks have added fuel to the fire.
Some Arkansas players have lost their sense of humility following their triumph over Illinois. They said some foolish things in their media session about the Kansas Jayhawks.
Although an SEC school doesn’t have to follow what is occurring in the Big 12, Eric Musselman and his squad have not watched much film on how KU plays. It sounds like the Razorbacks are taking their upcoming game lightly.
Kamani Johnson and other Razorbacks compared Kansas’ team to Mizzou. Mizzou? The Tigers? The group that the Jayhawks beat by 28 in Columbia? KU would love it if they prepared for the game as they would for one with Mizzou.
Jordan Walsh, a five-star freshman from Cedar Hill, Texas, was not shy in his interview when expressing his feelings about Kansas. He thinks Kansas is an exploitable team with several holes.
"“My first — I noticed first that when they play and the team that they’re playing against, they’re not really pressured to make mistakes. Like every team has kind of like backed off letting them into their motion, letting them into their offense, letting them get set and do all this stuff. But I feel it’s different when you come to the SEC. Dudes are going to push up on you full court, like 6-9 wings, 6-9 guards that are going to push up on and you make you turn the ball over. So I feel like that’s one place we have an advantage to push up full court and cause an uncomfortable feeling for them.”"
Those words could backfire in a hurry for Arkansas. KU might not be the most athletic team in the country, but they are far more experienced and disciplined.
It is ridiculous to say that the Jayhawks’ opponents played them lightly. Walsh must not be aware of TCU or Iowa State, some of the nation’s best defensive teams, or a West Virginia team known for its full-court press.
Oklahoma, the worst team in the conference, pummeled the SEC’s top school (Alabama) by nearly 30 points. The Big 12 dominated the Big 12/SEC Challenge with seven wins to their three.
Arkansas will be in for a rude awakening when they learn that Kansas played the most challenging schedule in college basketball this season. Walsh might not be familiar with how Big 12 basketball plays, so the Jayhawks must give him a taste today. Hopefully, Kansas heard what was said in their media session, as it will give them more incentive to beat down the Razorbacks.