OPINION Hog Calls

Toney will need to shine defensively

FAYETTEVILLE -- Eric Musselman had to be media prompted to mention Au'Diese Toney after Musselman's fourth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks escaped 13th-seeded Vermont, 75-71 in Thursday night's NCAA Tournament West Regional first round in Buffalo, N.Y.

It likely won't fare well for the Hogs if Musselman isn't volunteering praise tonight for Toney after Arkansas' second round game in Buffalo vs. the12th-seeded New Mexico State Aggies.

The 6-6 graduate transfer guard via the University of Pittsburgh seems most likely defensively to be assigned Teddy Allen, the 6-6 New Mexico State guard become scoring machine. Allen's 37 points sparked the Aggies' 70-63 first-round upset of the fifth-seeded Connecticut Huskies in Thursday's first round game at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

Understandably, Musselman did not think to cite Toney post vs. Vermont. After all, joining him on Thursday's postgame platform were Razorbacks stars of the game Stanley Umude, JD Notae and Devo Davis. Umude tallied a game-leading 21 points and nine rebounds. Notae scored 17 points, all in the second half, including two free throws with nine seconds left putting a 73-71 game out of Vermont's reach to the insurmountable 75-71 final.

Sixth man Devo Davis scored 14 points for the game including 10 helping carry Arkansas to a 34-27 halftime lead despite Notae scoreless.

Had there been room for another Hogs on the dais it would have been Jaylin Williams. The 6-10 sophomore center double-doubled with 13 points and a game-leading 10 rebounds.

Any Hog, Musselman was asked, not on the dais besides Williams stand out?

"I think that Au'Diese did a phenomenal job defensively," Musselman said. "He is always assigned to the offensive player that we feel his length can bother. And I think every game there's always little things that happen."

Toney played just seven seconds shy of the entire game against Vermont. He compiled six points, 2 of 4 from the field including 1 for 1 on treys, five rebounds, one shot block and zero turnovers.

Presumably Musselman will need a lot of things little and big from Toney tonight.

Toney can be an offensive force. He scored a team high 22 points in Arkansas' SEC Tournament first round victory over LSU last week in Tampa, Fla. and with 18 points joined Umude, 20 points and Davis, 11 points, as offensive bright spots in Arkansas' otherwise drab SEC Tournament semifinals loss to Texas A&M.

But it seems defense is what's most needed from Toney tonight.

Allen looked unstoppable scoring his 37 points inside and outside, 4 of 7 treys, and from the free throw line, 13 of 13, against a favored UConn team renowned for its gritty defense.

"They've got a star player who can create his own shot,"Musselman said. "A very tough matchup in Allen."

Though graduate transfers, Toney for Pittsburgh and Umude for South Dakota had never played in the NCAA Tournament.

They have now like the steady old hands they are.

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