Chuck Martin Previews Razorbacks Season Opener with Lipscomb

Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin spoke on the Razorbacks’ upcoming season opener against the Lipscomb Bisons, offering insights into the challenges the team will face.

Previewing Lipscomb

Martin praised Lipscomb forward Jacob Ognacevic, who scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Bisons’ season opener against Duquesne.

 “He causes a lot of problems because of his ability to shoot the three,” Martin said. “He can shoot it from the outside, He can shoot it from the low post. Not surprised that he had the night that he had because he’s a heck of a player.”

The Arkansas coaching staff has a great deal of respect for Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff and the program he has built. Martin noted that Lipscomb plays smart, efficient basketball with excellent ball movement and offensive execution.

“When you play Lipscomb, you know you’re going to play an efficient team, a team that’s not going to beat itself,” Martin said. “They’re unbelievable on offense. Their ball movement, player movement, their execution, their counters, they do an unbelievable job of reading the defense and countering it.”

[You may also be interested in Will Arkansas Have Jonas Aidoo For Opener With Lipscomb?]

Lessons Learned from Early Exhibitions

Martin addressed how the Razorbacks’ exhibition loss to TCU could serve as a learning experience, especially after their strong performance against preseason No. 1 Kansas in a previous exhibition game.

“Obviously, we got a chance to see what we could be after the Kansas game,” Martin said. “But also, we learned that if you’re not focused, you’re not locked in. In college basketball, anyone can beat anyone. I thought it was a really good lesson for our guys.”

The Razorbacks have struggled with 3-point shooting in their exhibition games, making less than 30% of their attempts as a team. Martin, however, believes the team will improve as the season progresses.

“Nelly [Johnell] Davis had been out for quite some time prior to the Kansas game, so that was the first time that he really had any live competition,” Martin said. “For our young guys, whether it’s Billy [Richmond III], Karter [Knox], or Boogie [Fland] this is their first time playing a live competition in front of a crowd. So, it’s going to take some time, but I certainly think that we’re capable of making threes, and I think that we will as the season goes on.”

Arkansas will host Lipscomb at 7 p.m. CST on Nov. 6 at Bud Walton Arena, “The Basketball Palace of Mid-America,” officially tipping off the John Calipari era. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.