After losing their respective semi-finals games in the PK80 Tournament’s Victory Bracket, both the UConn Huskies and the Arkansas Razorbacks will be looking to gain momentum before going back to non-conference play. Who will win the battle of offense versus defense?
TV schedule: Sunday, Nov. 26, 3:00 p.m. ET. ESPN
Arena: Moda Center in Portland, Oregon
After winning a highly entertaining offensive game against Oklahoma, the Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1) were shut down by North Carolina — all except Jaylen Barford who was the only efficient player for the team with 21 points.
The other guys on the perimeter struggled to get going. Daryl Macon had just seven points on 2/11 shooting, and Anton Beard wasn’t much better, going just 4/12 from the field for ten points. It’s hard to win any game with just one of a “big three” playing well, and it’s near impossible to do so when playing the defending national champs.
The score in the UConn-Michigan State game may seem to be a blowout, but the Huskies (4-1) were down just one point at halftime in a low scoring affair. Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier were once again the top players for UConn, combining for 40 points together. But the rest of the team didn’t help, making just 20 field goals altogether.
Like in previous years, head Coach Kevin Ollie has the defense playing well, but now it’s up to the offense to be good enough to help them win games if they’re going to get back to the tournament
This will be a battle of strengths, with the Razorbacks offense going up against the Huskies defense. One key player in this game will be Larrier, as Mike Anderson doesn’t have a certified player to guard him one on one. It’ll also be interesting to see what happens when Adams and Barford come across one another on the court.
Next: UNC vs. Michigan State by position
With the SEC looking strong, Arkansas will still be in good shape even if they go 1-2 in this event. For UConn, the AAC has its strengths, but it’s weakness as well as a league. They already have a solid win against the Ducks of Oregon, and another would cap off a very good week for a program trying to get back into national relevancy.
Prediction: Arkansas 72 – UConn 76