By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
Two former Southwest Conference powers will face off in Dallas at 6:30 p.m on Saturday, with No. 8 Baylor (0-1) and No. 16 Arkansas (1-0) set to square off at American Airlines Center.
The Baylor Lariat spoke with HawgBeat’s Riley McFerran earlier this week to get an inside scoop on the Razorbacks.
Q: Big coaching change this offseason, with Eric Musselman out the door for USC and John Calipari coming in from Kentucky. How have the vibes been since the switch, and how much has this program’s identity changed?
McFerran: There’s no question that Musselman elevated the program on the national scene, but it’s been taken to a whole different level with Calipari on board. The vibes — to put it simply — have been immaculate.
As for the identity of the program, Muss was a big marketer and was constantly posting on social media. You won’t really get that with Calipari (who didn’t even know he had an Instagram account), but he brings prestige and blue blood “energy” to Arkansas.
Fans were excited before and fans are excited now, but the amplification of that excitement is just much, much more profound now.
Q: Schematically, how is this team built to attack opponents?
McFerran: Attack the rim. DJ Wagner is really good at this and freshman Boogie Fland has the tools to do it, but how do guys like Johnell Davis, Adou Thiero and Trevon Brazile fit in?
Defensively, I think the Hogs will be solid at ball-pressure and staying in front of their matchups, but rebounding and 3-point defense need to improve from Arkansas’ two preseason games.
Q: The Razorbacks have three five-star recruits coming in this season: Boogie Fland, Karter Knox and Billy Richmond. What should Baylor fans expect to see from them?
McFerran: Fland is the real deal, man. He made it look easy against Kansas and was far more poised out of the gates than I expected. When he’s on, Fland can find his spot, make his shots, handle the ball and wants to play defense.
Knox and Richmond are more of a question mark than Fland. Richmond is athletic and long, but he’s incredibly raw offensively. Knox has a good build on the wing which allows him to play defense and rebound, but he’ll need to get some jitters out before the shots start consistently falling.
They’re all talented at the end of the day, but Fland is clearly heads above the rest.
Q: DJ Wagner, Johnell Davis and Jonas Aidoo (a former Baylor target) hopped in from the transfer portal. Which one of those guys is poised to make the biggest impact on Saturday?
(Editor’s note: After this Q&A, Aidoo played in Arkansas’ 76-60 win over Lipscomb on Wednesday. The graduate senior forward had two points, three rebounds, two turnovers and was a -10 in seven minutes.)
McFerran: I’m going to discount Aidoo just because it’s not 100% certain he’ll even play in Arkansas’ season-opener against Lipscomb on Wednesday. However, if he does suit up against Baylor, I think he’ll play the biggest role just for his defensive matchup against Norchad Omier.
I’ll lean Wagner because he’ll likely have the ball in his hands more than Davis, and because the continuity he brings from last year’s Kentucky team will matter this early in the season.
Q: How do you see this game playing out, and who do you think will win?
McFerran: With Aidoo, I think the Razorbacks will be able to command the paint and allow their guards to work their magic on the offensive end, enough to secure a close victory.
Without Aidoo, Arkansas will struggle to contain the physicality of Norchad Omier and the Bears will improve enough from three from their first game to squeak out a nail-biter.
In either scenario, I think fans will be in-store for a competitive game that comes down to the wire.
