KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arkansas basketball faced a significant deficit before it could even settle in to the Thanksgiving festivities.
Illinois (6-1) scored the first 11 points Thursday, led 23-8 after eight minutes and built too big of an advantage in a 90-77 win over the No. 21 Razorbacks (5-2). The game followed a similar script to the Hogs’ loss to Baylor earlier this season, and Arkansas is now 0-2 against Power Four opposition.
Adou Thiero led Arkansas with 26 points. In a battle of Croatian twins, Illinois’ Tomislav Ivisic scored 21 points, and Arkansas’ Zvonimir had 13. Kasparas Jakucionis led the Illini with 23.
Here are three observations from the Hogs’ loss to Illinois.
3-point shooting kills Arkansas basketball on both ends
Arkansas didn’t make its first attempt from long range until the 17:31 mark of the second half. The Hogs missed all eight of their 3-pointers over the first 20 minutes, while the Illini started the game 9 of 16 and led 49-34 at halftime.
By the end of the afternoon, Arkansas was 5 of 17 and Illinois was 15 of 31 from three. Those numbers were too much to overcome for the Razorbacks, and their 3-point shooting remains a major concern.
Where is Johnell Davis?
One of the biggest prizes in the transfer portal, Davis continues to struggle in the early stages of his Arkansas career. The senior guard only took three shots and finished with three points.
Arkansas needs more production from Davis, but coach John Calipari also needs to put the FAU transfer in more favorable positions on offense. Too often, Davis is standing in the corner and deferring to the other guards on the floor. The usage distribution needs to shift moving forward.
Jonas Aidoo returns
After missing the last three games with an injury, Aidoo returned to the floor Thursday and finished with two points and three rebounds. He played 11 minutes, all in the first half, which were a season-high for the Tennessee transfer.
More importantly, Aidoo looked in better shape against Illinois than he has at any point this season. Arkansas needs him to raise his production and floor time in the coming weeks.
