Ugly win over Robert Morris shows Arkansas growth curve is slow

Arkansas basketball has a lot of raw talent, but the emphasis right now is on the raw part. Wednesday night's 76-53 win over Robert Morris was an ugly slog. The Hogs started the game way off the mark, probably shaken after their blowout loss to Virginia on Sunday. It is completely understandable that a group of very young players, some of whom reclassified from the Class of 2027 to the Class of 2026 to play college ball this season, would have their confidence dented by a smack in the mouth just one week into this campaign. Nevertheless, we are seeing that the youthfulness of this group is bringing about a reality we all have to confront: The idea that it's all going to come together, that these freshmen will start clicking, will take more time to develop than we all probably hoped it would. It's not that it won't happen, just that it's going to require a longer process and a slower growth curve.

When we think about elite freshmen, the best of the best, their ownership of the game and their control of situations is so complete that even if they make mistakes or don't hit shots as efficiently as they want to, they still have a huge impact on games and lift their teammates. Jordan Smith is not at that evolutionary stage just yet. He is pressing and is trying to find his way. Again, this doesn't mean he and UA's other freshmen won't figure it all out by the time the season ends, but it does mean his command of the game isn't as complete or as immediate as a lot of fans hoped. 

Smith is not alone, either. Miikka Muurinen is struggling as well. It should be noted, as a reminder, that Muurinen's inability to play for Arkansas on the Bahamas summer tour is now catching up with him and the team. That was lost time in terms of player development for John Calipari and the staff. It was something they couldn't control, but now they have to put in extra work bringing Muurinen up to the standard which is expected of him.

The game against Robert Morris featured a lot of the problems we saw against Virginia: sloppy defensive rotations, inadequate free throw shooting, slow reactions, and a general overall sense that making the right reads and the right decisions aren't yet second nature for this group. A lot of this is natural and not any cause for alarm, but at some point, Arkansas fans would want to see clear evidence that bad habits or tendencies can and will be addressed - not necessarily eliminated, but certainly reduced.

There's a lot of work to do for this team. It might require more time than we all wanted.