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FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas head coach John Calipari warned about Virginia’s physicality after Arkansas’ season-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 3.
“We’re going to be playing a veteran team that’s older, that’s established,” Calipari said. “They’re a top 10 team. We got work to do. We do. If we’re not more physical, it’s hard to be in that game. You’re going to have to be physical. It means you’re going to have to hold your position. You can’t always be the one that’s getting bounced and then fumble balls and then not get a rebound. You hit first. We still aren’t there. We don’t have that mentality yet.”
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There were a plethora of reasons Arkansas was beaten quite soundly by Virginia on Sunday, but its lack of physicality, especially defensively, was a big one in the Razorbacks’ 91-72 loss.
After every Virginia shot, it seemed like there was a gaggle of white jerseys around the basketball, at least tipping it and knocking it around if not grabbing the offensive rebound. UVA totaled 40 rebounds, 19 of which were on the offensive end.
Arkansas, which appears to be a more physical team than it was a year ago, was no match. The Hogs blocked plenty of shots (10) on Sunday but only grabbed 36 rebounds and weren’t as active on loose balls, especially in the paint, as Virginia was.
That was a bad combination with a poor shooting performance and an offense that was stuck in neutral for the first 32 minutes of the game.
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It was on the defensive end where Arkansas’ relative lack of physicality was the most noticeable, but it was also a theme on the offensive side of the ball. UVA only blocked five shots but was constantly active underneath defensively and made the Razorbacks uncomfortable, forcing them into tough shots in the first half.
Virginia also won more 50-50 plays than Arkansas. Both teams constantly dove on the floor for loose balls, but it seemed like it was always the Cavaliers who came up with the rock and were able to get back into their…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/caliparis-warning-virginias-physicality-came-201903887.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-08 20:19:00
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